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Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #1) Welcome to Course 2!

Heather225 August 6th, 2020

Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 2, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and follow the instructions given. Save your responses to a document that you can later refer to. You will need to copy/paste your response in the course evaluation form at the end of each course to show that you have done the work and to refresh your memory.
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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.

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Question: 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?

Activity: Please reply to 3 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! You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these posts to successfully complete the program.


This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program Team, find out more information about the program here.

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Petrichor2000 September 6th, 2020

What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these? 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?

Too low of expection will lead people to never get out of their comfort zones. On my personal level I will start to find this site boring and unworthy of my attention.

Too Little warmth will make everything professional and I think this site will lose its meaning and motive for which it was made of. Too little warmth on my personal level would hurt me if I make a mistake and would make me take less risks.

2 replies
JaimieF September 8th, 2020

@Petrichor2000 I love the way you worded your response. I look forward to more of your leadership on 7 Cups. <3

1 reply
Petrichor2000 September 8th, 2020

@JaimieF

Thank you so much. I will give my best.

And hey you got a nice profile picture.

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DayDreamWithYou September 18th, 2020

@Petrichor2000

Ooh, I love how concise and straight-to-the-point your response was! I completely agree that having low expectations can cause us to stay in our comfort zone, and we could definitely feel that this site isn't as progressive and interesting. And I love how you mentioned about how little warmth would make this site professional, and being that 7 cups strives to be a supportive site, it would for sure lose its meaning. The last statements "make a mistake" and "take less risks" are very true, and oftentimes, perhaps we might start trying more and more and experiencing different things. Great job!! :)

1 reply
Petrichor2000 September 19th, 2020

@DayDreamWithYou

Thank you🤗

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JaimieF September 8th, 2020

Question: What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these? 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?

If I have too low expectations, I could become complacent, therefore not being as helpful to my community and not having as much personal growth. If I have low expectations for others, that could be discouraging and might mean I'm not helping their growth. If I have too little warmth for myself, I can become disheartened with my role. If I have too little warmth for others, it make interactions more difficult. High expectations and high warmth lead to an environment people can thrive in.

2 replies
Irena0225 September 9th, 2020

@JaimieF Good answer!

freshMint9376 September 12th, 2020

@JaimieF

Personal growth is a great point!

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Irena0225 September 9th, 2020

Having too low of expectations:

As a leader of 7 Cups, having too low of expectations can cause your lack of motivation to work and low expectations to your work. The mood you passed on to the members and the other listeners will also be negative and drag. That might impact them as well. Fellow leaders have to work more if you keep dragging.

Having too low of warmth:

The community can absolutely feel your lack of warmth. They might feel that the whole community is lack of warmth as well, that is not part of 7 Cups' culture. You are polluting this environment for all people who are here either seeking for help or to help. For fellow leaders, because this is an online environment, so your lack of warmth will create a barrier between you and other leaders, that can cause drag of work and impact the whole community a lot.

2 replies
BookChunky September 9th, 2020

@Irena0225

I really liked your response! It is very well worded. <3

CompassionateDreamer8522 September 10th, 2020

@Irena0225 You did a fantastic job of really grasping the content and knowing what the consequences would be! heart

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BookChunky September 9th, 2020

@Heather225

What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these?

As a 7 cups leader, I think an imbalance with these two could negatively impact my performance on 7 cups. I would be unaware of what the leaders and members expect of me and that would yield poor results because of lack of effort. I would also be discouraged while doing good work for the community as I wouldn't get enough support or warmth/ have people believe that I am capable of good work. This might reduce the responsibility given to me and hence result in troubled work. I may no longer feel motivated to do my work in a good, timely manner and not be able to grow with the community. Overall, an imbalance in this system could have really negative impacts for me as a listener on 7 cups as well.

How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact

1.) the community

Having either low warmth or expectation can reduce the efficiency of people in the community. It is important for all members, listeners and leaders to work with coordination and comfort, like a well-oiled machine and this could slow down that process and lead to a breakdown in the community. Maybe even weaken the support system of the community

2.) how you work with your fellow leaders

Working with others in the community would no longer be productive, it would result in poor relationships and people would have great difficulty in trusting each other with the work. It could create an imbalance for everyone, lead to failure and lack of accountability between people.

1 reply
CompassionateDreamer8522 September 10th, 2020

@BookChunky I think you hit both these right on the mark! Great job! yes

freshMint9376 September 12th, 2020

@BookChunky

You make a great point with accountability!

DayDreamWithYou September 18th, 2020

@BookChunky

Aww, thank you for sharing! I totally agree that having an imbalance of warmth and expectations can negatively impact our performance as leaders. The whole paragraph was very heartfelt for me, and I am really glad that you shared the fact that without support and warmth from the community, we also can feel rather unmotivated as well! And awesome job :)

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CompassionateDreamer8522 September 10th, 2020

@Heather225

How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community
I think that having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact the community negatively. If we are not expected to have a specific standard, then people will not work toward having any sort of standard. Too little warmth, and people who truly need us will not get the support they need during the times they need it most. It would be devastating to our work on 7 Cups.

and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
By having low expectations of leaders, we cannot expect forward progress. Also, too little of warmth will lead to gossiping, mistrust of leaders, and a people who do not stick around. Even good leaders, with little warmth or no expectations, will leave, due to having a feeling of "going nowhere" or being "stuck" in a negative pattern, unable to trust or expand their horizons.

1 reply
freshMint9376 September 12th, 2020

@CompassionateDreamer8522

That's so true! With all the expectations 7 Cups gives me, I know that I'm on the right track and I don't feel stuck

DayDreamWithYou September 18th, 2020

@CompassionateDreamer8522

I love how you mentioned about standards in relations to the community, and I definitely agree that without expecations/standards, we often end up not working towards a certain objective. At the same time, having too little warmth for sure makes the community in all perhaps less supportive.

I have not thought about gossiping in relations to warmth, but I definitely agree that it could lead to distrust and with people ending up leaving the site. Ooh, I love how you mentioned "going nowhere or being stuck" and being unable to perhaps learn more and progress more!

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freshMint9376 September 12th, 2020

What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these? 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) With too little expectations, I would not strive to try as hard, and I would not interact with the community as often as I do now. With too little warmth, the community would feel brushed aside and hurt from my words.

2) With too little expectations, working with my fellow leaders would be difficult. I would not know what was expected of me, and would feel lost and confused. Too little warmth would cause leaders to feel put off by me.

1 reply
hopedreamlove September 12th, 2020

@freshMint9376

Well said! I also like how you mentioned that with too little expectations you might feel lost and confused, I agree with that, so would I.

shiningSky3745 March 22nd, 2021

@freshMint9376

That's a great answers

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hopedreamlove September 12th, 2020

What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these? 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.) Having too low expectations would affect our community as we might have less motivation, or not see a reason to work as hard at our goals. Having too little warmth could make community members feel less safe and uncomfortable, and they might not feel as excited or passionate being a part of this community, instead they might feel alone.

2.) Having low expectations might impact how I work with my fellow leaders as we might feel less passionate and dedicated about our volunteer work, and we might not be accountable. Having low warmth could just make having a good relationship with fellow leaders difficult, and could make us feel like we are not appreciated.

2 replies
BookChunky September 12th, 2020

@hopedreamlove

Well said Hope! You've explained both points clearly.

Endure777 September 14th, 2020

@hopedreamlove

Awesome job with your answer! It makes sense as to why we need high expectations AND warmth, otherwise we would not be able to productively help others

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Endure777 September 14th, 2020

@Heather225

When it comes to being a 7 Cups Leader:

Low Expectations = 1) Having low expectations will cause us as leaders to not know what is needed to support others which contributes to not being motivated to do our part in helping others or contribute to projects. having high expectations pushes people to contribute on a greater scale. 2) Having low expectations will cause me to not be motivated to want to improve myself and not want to push myself

Low Warmth = 1) Having low on warmth will hinder the motivation we have when it comes to supporting others in the community, it will also deter people from being open about their issues. 2) having low warmth will keep me from being happy about doing my part on 7 Cups. Helping others is not easy so it takes high warmth to be able to have the headspace to be of assistance.

1 reply
rebecca947 September 17th, 2020

@CognitiveACE

I like how you explained low expectations and how you linked not knowing to being demotivated. It's very true I find in life, that you need to have a goal to be motivated and stick at it. Without a goal in life, you don't find purpose so you won't want to push yourself to do anything.
I especially loved "[low warmth will] deter people from being open about their issues." It's so true, we need to feel safe and supported first to be able to be ourselves and be vulnerable. :)

ahealingEndoftherainbow22 September 29th, 2020

@CognitiveACE

Well explained!

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shiningSound31 September 14th, 2020

Question: What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these? 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?

When one places high expectation in a friendly way and through encouragement on oneself or others, then the person on whom the expectation is placed (in a friendly manner) feels valued. This increases mutual-trust and mutual-respect between people.

If I keep low expectations from myself, then my contribution as a leader to the 7 Cups (or in any organization) would not be satisfactory. Non-satisfactory work would negatively impact the community of 7 Cups. Members who come on 7 Cups for emotional support would lose trust on 7 Cups if the work of 7 Cups leader is not satisfactory. Fellow leaders too would lose trust in me if my work is not up to the mark (as a result of me keeping low-expectation from myself). This loss of trust in the community and fellow leaders would start a negative spiral which would be pernicious for the 7 Cups culture and its community.

If I keep too little warmth, then members in the community and fellow leaders would hesitate to approach me. There may exist problems or situations where I can contribute, but because I have too little warmth, fellow leaders and members in the community would hesitate to approach me. This would affect the ability of the community in confronting any problem or situation which, in turn, would negatively impact the work and brand image of 7 Cups.
Members come to 7 Cups for emotional support. With too little warmth, listeners and leaders cannot stay true to the mission of 7 Cups.

If I, as a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these, then, this would affect the ability of 7 Cups to work satisfactory, the trust of members and fellow members on me. This, as a consequence, would affect the brand image of 7 Cups.

2 replies
WelcomeToChat September 29th, 2020

@shiningSound31

WelcomeToChat September 29th, 2020

@shiningSound31

In depth analysis, that really adds to the understanding of this hey topic

Great post !

1 reply
shiningSound31 September 29th, 2020

@WelcomeToChat

Thank You, WelcomeToChat :)

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amiablePeace77 September 29th, 2020

@shiningSound31

I like your response a lot, particularly " If I keep too little warmth, then members in the community and fellow leaders would hesitate to approach me". People want to feel welcome when they ask for help.

1 reply
shiningSound31 September 30th, 2020

@amiablePeace77

Thank You, amiablePeace :)

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shiningSky3745 March 22nd, 2021

@shiningSound31

Great post and it's really well detailed

1 reply
shiningSound31 March 24th, 2021

Thanks, Sky :)

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InvaderStitch September 14th, 2020

Too Low Expectations:

Community impact: There wouldnt be a lot of motivation from the community Very little involvement. No one would know what they should be working on. There would be no progress.

Relationships with other leaders: The relationship with other leaders might be strained because they may feel like Im not pulling my weight or doing my part. They may also ultimately decide that they dont want to work with me.

Too Low Warmth:

Community impact: Other listeners may feel intimidated by me and not want to come to me for support or feedback. There also might lack structure and there wouldnt be a lot of progress made.

Relationships with other leaders: The relationships with fellow leaders would lack professionalism, and there wouldnt be any accountability. People would feel good and connected, but not a lot would get done.

1 reply
MoonlightHelper1 September 20th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Very detailed and accurate response! You are well aware of how would it impact both the community and work with your fellow leaders if one of those dimensions was missing. I think you are going to be a great leader! :)

ahealingEndoftherainbow22 September 29th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Great answer!

Ginevra962 October 6th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Very good reply! You are awesome

YoungMonastic007 October 11th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Short and sweet. Beautifully written.

generousDiamond35 October 13th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Great and elaborate response! Explained so well!

Skyglider November 6th, 2020

@InvaderStitch Fantastic answers. Gave me something else to think about too. :)

Dinohorus November 14th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

I really appreciate your answer because it evaluates several facets of the impact that having an imbalance in these values would impart upon the community. Great job!

Ines1229 December 9th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

Love how structured and detailed your post is <3 Well said as well!

sia1325 December 18th, 2020

@InvaderStitch

A really great response!

DigitalKnight May 11th, 2021

@InvaderStitch

Loved the way you expressed your view <3

Prachi9876 September 6th, 2021

@InvaderStitch

I really liked how u described in a clear way :)

NoelleListens February 24th, 2022

@InvaderStitch

Your response is AMAZING!!!!

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