Course 1, Discussion 5: 7 Cups Culture
Hello Leadership Crew!
I hope you have been benefitting from this course. This is the last discussion of our course 1.
We take culture seriously on 7 Cups because it is the heart of how we operate. A wise person once said: You teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are. We can have all of the best training content we want, but if our culture is not strong, then we will not be successful in growing a thriving, compassionate, community that will make a global impact.
Every organization has a culture whether by design or by default. When culture (including values and mission are not called out or made explicit, the organization defaults to an implicit or unstated culture. The unnamed culture is not always great for the end users or the community. An example of a common and implicit cultural rule or norm is that the person that makes the most money or the organization is the most important. People that work in this organization then, naturally, because it is the culture, start organizing themselves around ways to make more and more money. The ones at the top of the hierarchy are the ones that make the most money. 7 Cups cares less about money and more about compassion. We call out compassion and celebrate compassionate people because that is central to the work we do.
Please read our guide here to deeply understand our culture. We have made it explicit because we believe it is important to help us all be accountable to what we stand for and believe in. As leaders on 7 Cups, you will be models that emulate our culture and values.
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗❗After posting, please...
1. Take the course exam here to complete course 1.
2. Take the leadership oath here.
3. Fill out the End of Trial form to complete your 2-week trial (Please check your email for End of Trial date.)
4. Proceed to Course 2!
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@Hope
High Expectations & High Warmth is important to me. I do understand that without this partnering, the environment would be either stagnant or low quality. From what I have seen, in a group aspect 7cups is the best environment I have been a part of. I think with it being online, it saves a lot of certain types of stress making it easier, though. Thriving while learning/being warm and friendly to increase trust is an important skill that I want to be confident enough to emit in my every day life instead of feeling like I have to protect myself from things people/family considers normal or necessary/unavoidable.
Expecting Failure because "problems [are] disguised gifts". That's it. There is no growing without some failure and learning what not to do. Failure is beautiful as long as I can pick myself up. I'm proud of myself whenever I succeed and I'm proud to see other people thrive in tiny moments this way too.
Accountability is all encompassing to me. Reading through the culture of 7cups... I know I need it the most and I am working on it. I learned early on to prioritize myself because I am no use without being closer to healthy than not. However, occasionally I question if I use it as an excuse because I don't want to put effort in. When I do question it, I try to do that thing anyway just in case. I want to be a hard worker but not exert myself to the point I wouldn't want someone else to. I've been called lazy or a slow worker before. Not by jobs but myself or my family. I want to be held accountable for everything as I hope others will hold themselves accountable as well.
In that environment, I have been decent at time management. I do try, I just don't feel like I try hard enough anymore. I'd say it's a self esteem issue but I'm not sure. I'm working on this.
@Hope
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
1. To have a purpose - Coming here and supporting others is a valuable purpose.
2. Put effort into what you do - What you do matters, how you treat others matters as well.
3. Self care matters - If you're not in a balanced state, you can't support others. Take care of yourself so that you can support others into doing the same.
@Hope
The 3 things are:
1. Alignment with organisation's mission and visions
2. Importance of keeping support accessible to those who are financially weaker
3. 7 Cups will fiercely protect the safety of the space.
@JLisjustlistening
Thank you for your insight and good luck with the course :)
@Hope
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
- "We Expect Failure" - failing is okay, when trying things we will fail, it's part of learning and growing and we must try things and fail to find things that work.
- "Self-Efficacy or Mastery" - Wanting you to learn to trust yourself more and continuously grow more.
-We do not believe that you can plan your way to success. Rather, we believe you become successful through solving the next biggest and most pressing problem that is in front of you.
^ These are some of my favourites! ♡
Heya @TabbyCat97
Those are such amazing values Tabby, thanks so much for sharing them with us!
Best of luck with the program!
@TabbyCat97 I love the idea of tackling the biggest and most pressing problems head on! As a community, even the most daunting issues can be resolved step by step.
@Hope
The most important things I learnt from this guide were:
- The concept of self efficacy - the ability to improve yourself until these changes amalgamate into the best person you can be
- Flow states - the ability to focus and mentally participate in a task by choosing one we are good at and enjoy
- The formation of a culture of trust is an active process in which time and conscious effort needs to be spent.
Thanks for making this course, its given me a lot to think over!
@charmingEagle47 Those are great points, Eagle!
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
The most important value of 7 Cups for me is Solving Problems That Matter.
This one is such a big thing. The world is such a stressful place for the most part and people are struggling with their mental health.
Cups offers something that is very simple, very basic, something that is so important and yet so rare. That something is empathy.
I think what most people need is not a solution to their problems, but someone who will listen to them and understand them. They don't need a teacher, they need a friend. And that's what Cups offers, and I think that is truly very special.
The next one for me is a combination of Try Hard and Expect Failure
This one is very important to me because I have always been a perfectionist. So trying hard comes naturally to me but expecting, or rather, accepting failure doesn't.
Cups has taught me that failure is not the end of the world. It's just a part of life. And it's okay to fail. It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to be human. And that's something I really needed to hear.
All that can be asked of me is for me to try my best. And that's what I'll do. It's a lesson hard learned, but I'm glad I learned it.
The last one for me is Have Fun
In my opinion, this one is essential in every aspect of life. If you're not having fun, what's the point?
So I try my best to have as much fun as I can while on here, and try my very best to make sure that the people I interact with have fun too.
@Mahad2804
You highlighted some of the most important parts.
Thank you for reinforcing those.
@Hope
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
- Friendliness and Conscientiousness - For this community to thrive, it is crucial to foster a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere that upholds high standards of morale and ethics. These values are integral to our longevity and success.
- Collaborate - We all have unique perspectives and approaches when it comes to solving problems. By collaborating and working together, we can support one another in finding solutions. Diverse viewpoints allow us to see situations in new ways, broadening our understanding. When we unite as a community to address challenges, we can achieve great success.
- Accountability - "You are accountable to yourself, but also to the team, the community, and the mission." Demonstrating accountability is a key trait of responsibility. Your reliability, diligence, and sound judgment reflect a deep understanding of 7 Cups' mission. As a dependable leader committed to fulfilling your responsibilities, you contribute to a thriving community where things run smoothly.
@Jenna Wonderful answers!!!
@Jenna Wow, you've got this! Thank you for your amazing job <3
To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
"Your Work Matters"
No matter if you are part of the admin team and are getting paid, or every other volunteer here, you absolutely matter! I speak to new listeners on a daily basis who express that they feel they aren't doing enough for the members. But I always let them know that even by being a sounding board, they are allowing the members to be heard.
A lot of the time, we are the only safe place for a lot of these members which is a great honor and privilege
"Solving Problems That Matter"
I am absolutely someone who sees problems and wants to solve them in the most efficient way possible. I see my strength on Cups being caring about everyone's safety and ensuring that the guidelines are upheld. This can be done by working alongside ambassadors and admin of certain tracks.
I am truly so grateful to already be PA in the quality track and have such an amazing team of people that I get to work alongside. I thank @FrenchMarbles for introducing me to QM which then led into the other roles I now have. @EvelyneRose and @InternalAcceptance also support me in the best way possible when I am trying to get to the bottom of the problem and see what the best solution is. I truly look forward to working my way up in Quality so that I can work even harder to ensure this is the safest place for everyone.
In the guide, it states: "We do not believe that you can plan your way to success. Rather, we believe you become successful through solving the next biggest and most pressing problem that is in front of you." This is why I am going to continue to work hard at ensuring that Listeners are heard and safe.
I have a heart for the teens and definitely feel very protective over them. I do believe I am here to advocate for those who may have a harder time advocating for themselves. If I am able to help even just one person here, then I consider that success!
"Accountability"
Accountability is big for me because, without it, we can't grow. Feedback is sometimes hard to hear and digest. But I do challenge myself (and my mentee's) to hear constructive criticism and allow it to be words that encourage them and myself to grow as listeners.
To me, accountability also means admitting when we are at fault and trying to make our wrongs right. Again, something that is a very important quality to possess as a leader on Cups (and in general). If we are not able to admit that we are wrong or that we may have seen things in a different light, that is the expectation we are setting to the team that we are leading. Instead, we should be showing the team that it is absolutely okay to make mistakes but when we do, it's important to own it, apologize and move on.
(A side note to quickly say that although I mentioned a few names in the post above, I could have mentioned so many more. I am privileged to be in so many different teams and working alongside so many amazing people that it would be hard to name them all. I chose to point out the quality team as that is one that I plan on working my way up to hopefully becoming ambassador one day. This is in no way meaning that I don't love all the teams that I am on, because I absolutely do)
✒️To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
1. High standards. Having the highest of standards with highest of acceptance for trying to reach them but failing
2. Trust. Trusting ourselves and others to reach where we want to
3. High warmth towards yourself and others while reaching your goals
@Rivelino3
I agree with you that all three of those are so important.
Trust is very important in a team, but you also raise a great point about how important it is to first have trust and confidence in ourselves.
1. It's okay to fail. Don't be afraid to expect failure. It's helpful to acknowledge this fact because you will fail at one point or another, and that's okay. Failure is not the end of anything, it's a learning point. One should stay focused on their path and try again whenever needed.
2. The importance of friendliness and conscientiousness. They build trust. Friendliness and conscientiousness are important because we need others to trust us with our job.
3. You are accountable to yourself and your team. If you commit to a task, you must complete it. You should be able to do your work properly and on time. We should be aware of this because everyone has a task or project to work on.
@RosaHere
those are some great points! 💛
