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
If I, as a 7 Cups leader, have a lack of balance in either expectations or warmth, there is less positive progress in our environment. Too low expectations or too little warmth will negatively impact the community and my fellow leaders.
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
Having an imbalance of expectations and warmth will cause stress and tension to the workspace overall. An unwelcoming environment decreases productivity, motivation, and harms others' self esteem as their confidence and passion will slip away.
✒️ 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?
Having little expectations will prevent the community from growing together because there is nothing keeping them in check. Similarly, with fellow leaders, lowered expectations allow wiggle room for cheating/slacking off. Having too little warmth on the other hand will break the community and fellow leaders' teamwork. The sense of togetherness will dissipate.
@calmstrawberry0608
agree. I have similar thoughts about it. Boosting self-esteem and morale is important to maintain high warmth and expectation. 💖
@FrenchToast
If there is an imbalance of expectations or warmth as a 7 Cups leader, there would be little effective, focused work able to be done or there would be a rule oriented, driven environment that is adverse to risk.
@FrenchToast
Having too low expectations or too little warmth will impact:
1) The community might be divided into two groups. Those with low expectations and those with too little warmth. A lack of balance and group consistency would negatively impact the effectiveness of 7 Cups leadership, which would negatively impact the entire community. It sounds like a total lack of balance and ultimate chaos. This would make 7 Cups leadership ineffective and the community possibly feel confused, conflicted and lacking trust in 7 Cups.
2) It would certainly my impact ability to work with my fellow leaders due to the sense of constant confusion, conflict and feeling of uncertainty and chaos. This would be a truly, terrible work environment!
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If I'm imbalanced toward expectations without enough warmth to accompany it, that may model an expectation that prioritizes results over people. It may result in people feeling like I am unapproachable, unsupportive of growth and insensitive toward them as individuals. It may also result in a lot of stress as people try to meet the expectations without feeling like they have permission to care for themselves, or to be the type of person who is naturally more inclined to be patient toward others, to be expressive in being warm and embracing, and to focus more on people than on results (to offer broad generalizations).
If I'm imbalanced toward warmth without enough expectations (or clear expectations) to accompany it, it may seem like I am unapproachable for exactly the opposite reasons. It could send the message that I am unsupportive of ideas and high expectations, and that I am unapproachable and unaccepting of individuals who are naturally more inclined toward to be strategic and value problem-solving and critical thinking over outward expression of emotions (other very broad generalizations - don't take them too seriously). It may result in unclear direction or confusion about what people are supposed to do, and inconsistent performance or results.
✒️ 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?
1. See above.
2. An imbalance inspires less and offers less of a model to aspire to. The more imbalanced someone is, the less people may want to follow them.
@JustSophia Nicely put and I agree completely on the points you made in your post.
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
-> Expectations are the goals we set for ourselves and warmth is the fuel that makes us go further. without having the two in balance, leadership would not thrive for long. As a 7 Cups leader, if we find ourselves in a situation like this, we can surely reflect on the journey and find ourselves a spot where balance can be achieved.
✒️ 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?
-> 1) The impact of low expectations or too little warmth in the community will lead to a motivation deficit and people looking for help will not find adequate support. It won't be reliable when they need it.
-> 2) The impact of low expectations or too little warmth with fellow leaders will be not as efficient as it could be. Everyone tends to outperform and do their best when there is high warmth and expectation. so, basically, fellow leaders will lose the drive to make an effort.
@FrenchToast
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If you have imbalance warmth and high expectations, then it will neither have a structure, and no reliability and safety.
✒️ 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?
There will be little growth, no change, and hardly any progress in a society with low expectations since money even if available cannot be utilised for higher standards where there are no high aspirations.
@brightLynx1428 True
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
It will create a bad/worse environment thereby a bad/worse community
- ✒️ 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?
1. Community
1. Too little warmth: Too little warmth may create a feeling of coldness and/or not being welcomed, may make the members less engaged, may also contribute to a lack of trust and may make them feel less support and/or less valued
2. Too low expectations: Too low expectations may result in a lack of accountability and standards and thereby may make the members less engaged
2. Leaders
1. Too little warmth: It can make a bad environment. So it can decrease teamwork.
2. Too low expectations: Make the team less productive and less engaged in teamwork and may create a feeling of disinterest.
@TheOnlyChresser
I totally agree with your insights that the balance of expectations and warmth is necessary in every community, and good luck on your journey along 7 Cups!
@FrenchToast @hope @yourbuddy30
⇢What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth? If a 7cups leader has an imbalance of expectations and warmth it may lead to the leader having zero productivity. The leader will not have the focus that is needed to lead a team. This leader may also create an unwelcoming for their respective team members. There will be less communication, miscommunication, or no communication.
⇢ 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? I believe this question is related to the one above, so the response will be the same. See above for my response.
⇢ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words! @theonlychresser, your reply to the question has many great points regarding low expectations and little warmth in a work environment. I particularly admired that you included that people may lack accountability which is very important. Hope the rest of the LDProgram goes well for you.
✨❃♡❃❀♥️❀❃♡❃✨
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
the harmony of the system will be flawed
✒️ 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?
the community will either be too cold hearted or too insufficient
