Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #1) Welcome to Course 2!
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?
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@Heather225
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?
The imbalance will cause a negative and adverse impact on the members and as well as the listeners, it will hinder the growth and progress of the 7cups community.
Low/minimal expectations would result in inefficiency, not reaching full potential as a listener or a leader. They will be unreliable and not accountable. They can be warm and welcoming but there is no push or motivating force to achieve the set expectations, thus lacking in quality service.
Low/minimal warmth would result in unfriendliness, inconsideration, unapproachability, the lack of belonging/social inclusivity/ mutual understanding), robotic interaction because of obligations or competitive nature to achieve all the set expectations. There will be a lot of burnout and unenthusiastic listeners.
@courageousheart96
Awesome 😎, I am in awe of your explanations, on low expectations and how it leads to poor quality service and unused potential. It's just very detailed and wow, even a layman can understand.
@Heather225
If I as a 7 Cups leader were to have an imbalance of expectations and warmth, I would not be able to perform to the best of my ability. For instance, a community with high expectations but little warmth will result in a very driver, rule-oriented and risk-averse environment. As a result, me as well as my fellow leaders will not be able to grow as much personally or professionally. A community that is too low on expectations would result in our community struggling. My leaders and I would not be effective and productive, not being able to get enough work done.
@kindFish9215
Of course, because of low expectations, one cannot be productive. I love your wording👍
@Heather225
1 inefficiency causes setback to the community.
2 my fellow leaders would not find me accountable which could impact the work
Low warmth would results in-
1 low social bonding
2 a lack of understanding would make them feel like I do not value their work
@yourfriend5
You are absolutely right, inefficiency causes setback in the community. Never said better 😃
@Heather225
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If I have higher expectations and lower warmth, I will be focused and goal-oriented at the expense of other leaders and members therefore I will not grow professionally. If I have low expectations and high warmth, I will be happy and so does everyone who interacts with me but ineffective which will cause my stagnation as a leader.
How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community,
If I have low warmth, there will be a large number of reports, members may fear having a follow up discussion with me and even the 1-1 chats may end early as the atmosphere is not welcoming. Low expectations will cause stagnation in the community which can be dangerous in the long run.
and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
Low warmth will cause less interactions with my fellow leaders as I will be unapproachable and rude. Low expectations might lower the morale of my fellow leaders with higher expectations and I might end up dragging those leaders down.
@Heather225
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?
Answer:
1. Having too few expectations would make me a liability for the community, no expectations would mean no work done, which isn't a trait of an ideal leader.
Me having too little warmth for someone else isn't something that goes in favor of a leader. The task of a leader is to show light on a path or guide the whole community towards something and by not being supportive, that won't be possible. Secondly, the community having too little warmth and appreciation for me would result in me getting discouraged and no more interested in doing anything for the community. Hence, a perfect balance between the two should be established.
2. Low expectations and low warmth would have a significant impact on my equation with my fellow leaders. Not being supportive of someone else, having low warmth, not being appreciative or encouraging enough is not a quality one would aspire in their fellow teammates/leaders.
And low expectations would not result in any amount of work being done or deadlines being met or projects being completed.
As a 7 cups leader, having low expectations would result in:
1. A week community which will neither improve nor develop, it will also result in inefficiency and will also have a negative impact on the members and listeners as they look up to me the most.
2.If this happens, the team would neither find me reliable nor respect me which will lead to insecurity of the team.
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?
If I, as a 7Cups leader , have an imbalance of expectations and warmth , it will hinder my ability to give my best.
Having too low of expectations , or too little warmth will impact the community by hindering its progress. If the community has low expectations , the goals set will be low then the progress will be less as well. If the community has low warmth , it will affect the cooperation among the members of the community.
Having too low of expectations will pose a hindrance in my quality of work and too little warmth will interfere with the teamwork and also make me unreliable among my fellow leaders.
@jersey123456
That's some great points you've put out there. Couldn't agree with it more myself. I'm sure you'd make a great leader here soon enough!
@jersey123456 I agree with Lyric. You have lots of wonderful points here <3
@Heather225
As a 7 Cups Leader, I believe:
Having low warmth, high expectations leads to an environment where one would be efficient enough to get the job done but wouldn't help the cause since low warmth may give out a vibe saying that we cannot be approached easily and would make it harder for the community to accept certain aspects. If not for empathy, social bonding and respect towards fellow leaders and members being a few key factors, 7 Cups wouldn't be where it is right now.
Having high warmth, low expectations tends to create a dilemma in the efficiency of an individual. Low expectations lead to tardiness and hinders a leader from identifying their true potential. This would cause an imbalance in the distribution of work where the fellow leaders would have to make up for what one leader is missing and this cycle of imbalance rarely ever stops.
@lyricalSea85 That's a great way to put it! I love how you clearly stated the implications of low expectations and low warmth - great job!
@xinyii11
Thank you so much!! :')
🍭💕🌸ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ🍥🌸💕
I think, as a 7 Cups leader-
having low expectations would result in:
1) me not being able to constantly improve myself and affect my overall listening quality in the long run
2) the community not being able to be supported in a way everyone here deserves to be supported and affect the quality of the members' experiences here at 7 Cups.
having low warmth would result in:
1) me treating 7 cups as an obligation more than something I'm passionate about. It will also result in a lack of motivation when it comes to supporting fellow members and listeners.
2) misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and negative emotions spreading all around the community.
@xinyii11
yes!! I think 7Cups should be something we are passionate about. It shouldn't be seen as a chore or a task for us to complete as leaders. It would be counterproductive to see it that way and lead to negative feelings/emotions as you said which is exactly what we are trying to prevent/support others on!
@mikacv
I agree you should be passionate about what you do on 7 cups, because if you treat it as a chore, you won't do as well as you think, having a passion you will try your very best to help other people.
I agree and i love driving and would like to practice it professionally in 7 cups to gain a new skills and to help members who need support🌱