Course 2, Discussion 3: High Expectations and High Warmth
Congrats! You made it the second course in the LDP! In this course, we focus on the specific interpersonal skills needed to be a strong leader on 7 Cups, including mastery of communication skills, time management, conflict resolution, stress management and empowering new leaders.
I know if you are here, you have read our values and culture guide. I would like to start off by further emphasizing one value that's required for a leader to be successful here, and that is balancing High Expectations & High Warmth.
Work environments with high expectations and minimal warmth tend to result in companies that are very driven, rule-oriented and risk-averse. The people do not tend to grow as much personally or professionally. On the other hand, workplaces that are high in warmth, but have minimal expectations, tend to struggle. Everyone is happy and feels loved, but not a lot of effective or focused work gets done.
7 Cups is high expectations AND high warmth. We expect a lot from you. You might feel like we think you are more capable than other people have suggested or maybe even more capable than how you see yourself. That is okay. Every person on the team has outperformed and done better than they expected. This is largely because warmth, patience, and trust help people make much more progress than they have in other environments. We have high expectations, but we will provide plenty of encouragement and guidance to help you get there.
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here!
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@FrenchToast
I think that having an imbalance of expectations and warmth will lead to many different conflicts and contribute to a hostile environment, thereby making me an inefficient leader.
When high warmth is portrayed, members of the community feel welcomed and supported. However, when accompanied by low expectations, it can result in a lack of boundaries and hinder personal growth/progress. Conversely, high expectations generate a sense of direction and inspire intentional actions that are based on the community's values and mission. In spite of that, too little warmth can create a lack of trust, communication and connection among both members and peers.
As it relates to working with fellow leaders, an imbalance of expectations and warmth may cause disorganization and stagnation, or disagreements, resentment and lack of teamwork. It is undoubtedly crucial to have both high expectations and warmth because it sets a good example to fellow leaders and the community, and fosters a congenial environment that flourishes.
@hopefulDew435 I totally agree with how little warmth could affect the communication and understanding that happens among people. That would definitely make people more distant from each other.
I think an imbalance will result in poor relationships and not much work getting done.. this could affect the community by people getting frustrated and relationships breaking down.
@Tracey12345 Yes, I agree and relationship building is key to a group's success.
@FrenchToast ✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community.
There needs to be a balance of expectations as well as warmth. If expectations are too low people would not reach their true potential to become the best versions of themselves. This is rather upsetting since there will be people in the community who have high capacity yet are underestimated so the true skills and talents are hidden or unknown.
On the other hand lack of warmth will cause the community to feel devalued and insignificant. They will not like their 7cups activities because it will be too stressful for them without any support or advice. This could cause them low motivation, low productivity and they might even quit the tasks in general because it is too stressful.
and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
@Snowpudding (sorry about that the message was sent too fast)
impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
Due to low expectations me and my fellow leaders might not try to push the organization to become better by underestimating its potential status. This would mean I would work with my leaders only to uphold the current status of 7cups without striving for the betterment of the future.
Low warmth could mean me and my fellow leaders might not have productive communication, understanding and companionship. This would result in 7cups leaders being rather competitive and only thinking about their own success in the organization rather than collective group success. This would be detrimental since 7cups strives on being a friendly organization with people working together for the betterment of society.
An imbalance of expectations and warmth could result in a less effective team/group. If expectations are too high or too low and the group members don't feel valued and respected, the effectiveness of the team's goals might greatly be hampered. Too much warmth and not enough expectations might result in a lack of focus and clear goals, maybe resulting in the group members feeling there is no one actually driving the ship. The team members might feel most secure to share and learn while being productive with a good balance of leadership. Also, having too low expectations might result in other groups or leaders having to pick up the slack if the group has not completed their assignments. This could lead to confusion or responsibilities and resentment if not clearly communicated.
