Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #2) Service Leadership at 7 Cups
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.
-
Being a leader at 7 Cups takes many forms. One thing every listener has in common is that we are all agents of service. Whether we are taking member chats or we are welcoming a new listener to the community, every unique contribution made by listeners is equally wonderful and valuable.
There are many ways to spend our  volunteer time at 7 Cups. Some of you will choose to focus on member chats and others will choose to be involved with our community programs, or both!  No matter which path, all contributions are considered incredibly valuable and special.
The term  Service leadership  (based on the philosophy of servant leadership, in  which the main goal of the leader is to serve)  can be explained in this way:  "Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the top of the pyramid. By comparison, the servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible."
Sometimes leaders or community members who help with projects receive high praise for their efforts (and they all deserve it) but this is never to take away or undermine the contributions of listeners who fly a little bit more under the radar. How one chooses to spend their volunteer time on 7 Cups is up to them & we love you all the same!
Leadership - Becoming a Teen Star, Mentor, Mentor Leader or Ambassador.
Weve long said⦠that if you want to be a mentor, be a mentor, eventually youll get a badge. These service leadership roles are incredibly important to the functionality of our community. The individuals in these posts do an excellent job helping to keep our community safe and positive. I am very thankful for them.
One misconception I have heard floating around is that once youre in one of these roles you need to do more, be more, show more, etc. The reality could not be any further from the truth. These roles signify contributions that are currently being made & are not about contributions we hope these individuals will make in the future.
Another way to think about this is - Â if youre accepted to be a mentor leader or ambassador, we will not be giving you more work. Our aim is to honor the work you have been previously/currently doing. In fact, wed love for you to add more self-care to your regular routine. These titles are reserved for successful project leaders & community members who are already involved in community engagement projects and actively making a positive impact. In some cases, we may give you more tools to do your specific projects more effectively.
In this sense, service leadership is simply about where you plan to spend your time. To those of you out there who focus 100% on member chats, we LOVE YOU! To those of you out there who focus on community programs, we LOVE YOU TOO! All of these contributions are equally valuable and important. As a collective  community, our aim is to honor your contributions, no matter where or how they manifest.
In this vein, my hope is that you will remember 3 key things:
1. Self-care - always! Make sure self-care is baked into your volunteer work here
2. Dont take on more than you are able. If you dont have the bandwidth to do something, you owe it to yourself and the community to say no. It is 100% okay to say no. (And if you are asking someone to help you with a project, please do not get upset if someone has to say no.)
3. Remember that 7 Cups is an ecosystem. Every single contribution matters! Â
If youd like to be in a service leadership role, my advice would be:
1. Pay attention to how others are contributing
2. Figure out what gets you excited in the community!
3. Once you have an idea of what gets you excited, dive in! You dont need to have a mentor badge to help out, get involved & start learning.
4. If youre not sure how to get involved, you can chat with a mentor or sign up for listener coaching.
5. Once you feel comfortable with your area of attention, apply for the appropriate mentor track.
-
Questions: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
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.
▪︎What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
~ I love the idea of Service Leadership. The best part about this is "When leaders shift their mindset and serve first, they benefit as well as their employees in that their employees acquire personal growth, while the organization grows as well due to the employees' growing commitment and engagement." It helps leaders to remind themselves of the main purpose of being in this community, to serve, to help and support their best as they can.
▪︎ Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
~ I appreciate and acknowledge all the listeners who do their best to support members and take out their time and make efforts to listen to them, and provide emotional support. Also listeners with several leadership roles, who work hard to leave no stone unturned to help in the growth of the community. I think 7 cups is a great example of Service leadership, every work, every effort and every time put by the listener counts.
▪︎How can you become a better "servant'' to our community?
~ I am trying my best and still learning, I want to dedicate my time to supporting members as well as contribute to the leadership roles I hold. I find happiness in helping others and I will work my best to provide support and become a better "servant" to the community.
@unique73
I am really happy to see you appreciate listeners for all the work they do!<3
@unique73 that's a good way to look at it, service leadership is a good reminder of the purpose we're doing something in the first place. it's easy to forget that sometimes.
I love how you want to dedicate your time supporting members and contributing to your leadership roles! I admire you for that!
@Heather225
- Service leadership for me is doing a task and helping others to that task which you are good and you like.
- I have seen leaders and peers throughtout the community reaching out to people, helping them, supporting them without any selfish means and that for me is an example of service leadership.
- I can be a 'servant' by doing tasks and helping people out with tasks I am good at and I like, as said in the first point.<3
@Hope2103 yeah, supporting people without any selfish incentives is in itself truly amazing!
What do I think of the idea of service leadership?
Iove seeing leaders in their roles, I find them very empowering and inspiring from their support. They are doing a great swervice as @Heather225 says "by helping everyone grow and achieve success and then seeing theem bloom." This is what 7 Cups is all about, the service, the giving, support and watching everyone grow.
Where all here for the same reason, to overcome our obstacles in life. The leaders are our guides, however when we all come together the power of support is multiplied and great things happen.
Thank you leaders for your amazing guidance.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen?
I think all members, mentors, listeners, ambassadors and supporters are amazing.
Titles are what we have all strived towards since joining 7 Cups, these are our accomplishments. (I hope to gain few titles myself.)
However key word here is titles, its only a name....memeber, listener, supporter, etc and yes we do need these titles here in 7 Cups to know whom is doing which role.
Behind these titles are people doing amazing service equally as the other, as a whole and as a community in supporting and working together to grow to make 7 Cups the most caring, welcoming and supportive place on the internet for people going through difficult times.
I honestly feel here at & Cups to mentally put the titles aside, and remember we are all one - 7 Cups family.
How can you become a better servant to our community?
To be honest, I am excited to see myself take up a role in the community, however I do have strong emotional fears that I wont be good enough as these amazing leaders I am seeing now. I have chosen a few roles so will see how I go. However with that said....
I'm loving and enjoying giving my support to others contrabuting in the rooms. Infact because I am 49 I kinda feel like I do have a role as a mothering hen for the younger ones lol. I am enjoying contrabuting in this way, I'm feeling it is very rewarding. I hope I'm empowering the younger ones and at same time empowering myself.
I do look forward to taking on my new roles as I also know I have the best support network guiding and helping me all the way.
Thankyou to everyone for making 7 Cups what it is today, we are growing and blossoming together and as one.
Sprinkling my love and hugs to you all.
@Cazzy8752 those are all wonderful points :) here's a hug for you too 
@Cazzy8752 great answer!!
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I really like the idea of service leadership. This means sharing responsibility and power. As a group, providing a service where we put others' needs before ours. We contribute our time and effort in order to create an environment that people can bloom in.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
There's many examples, since 7 cups is built on the very foundation of service leadership. However, something I've always admired are mentors who take on training listeners so they can improve their quality service. They're doubly contributing to the community by offering their valuable free time to others.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
By listening to any feedback :D I think it's really important to receive critiscm in order to grow.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups? There are support groups on 7 cups which are led by certain listerners. Here they direct a conversation and assist people to talking their problems.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community? I can be more active by joinging programs (like this) and helping others find a voice here.
@explore1000
helping others find their voice is one of the best things a servant leader can do
@explore1000
That's really great explore! Joining different programs truly helps us to a greater extent. It helps us get into cups culture too. I myself personally expect myslf to join these programs :)
All the best!
@explore1000
great answer
@explore1000
Fantastic!
@explore1000
Well said !
@explore1000 I definitely agree with joining more programs like this one XD It really is beneficial and I learned so much through these courses!
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/motivational-quotes
@explore1000
Absolutely, I cannot agree more - A wonderful way to give back to the society!
q. What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think it's wonderful to focus on serving rather than promoting interests. In that way, actions can be focused on sharing, helping others grow, etc. It seems like a natural outcome of wanting to help others combined with a leadership role.
q. Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
almost any leadership position on 7 cups seems like service leadership because the platform itself is designed in a way it intends to serve people
q. How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
putting myself up for high standards of work
@sereneButton43
Loved your answer.
@sereneButton43 Putting yourself to high standards is definitely a great way to be a better 'servant'! I find that when we expect more from ourselves, we often provide better services and support for the others in the community <3 Great response!
@sereneButton4q. Absolutely, I think it wonderful to focus on serving 100%...too :)
I think that service leadership is awesome since I defintiely think that a leader should be a role model for everyone else. Leaders have lots of responsibilities and other people can really look up to them when they're doing a great job. professionalism, respectfullness and kindness will help a leader go a long long way.
An example I can think of is with the mentors here. They ARE what we who are just starting out are aiming to be. I strive to be like the mentors here and think their dedication is awesome.
@Harquinn909
you are right that being a servant leader is all about being a role model. Being who you would want others to be for you.
@Heather225
Questions: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I think all leadership is service leadership. The point of being a leader is that you are responsible for the needs of the community. The community can trust you to take care of all responsibilities. An example of service leadership I have seen on 7cups is a listener who actually listens. It's actually somewhat rare for listeners here to actually listen. So anyone who takes the time to truly listen is a servant leader. They are setting themselves aside to really see the other person. And that can change someone's life, truly.
@HannahPalm
woah! those are few amazing points you just mentioned. Yes It really takes a lot to step ourself aside and understand someone and it really feels good when it helps. :)
That's a great point! All leadership I can definitely see as representing service leadership. It's the intentions that matter!
@Heather225
First of all I would like to thank you for exposing the discussion to such an amazing topic.
In my views, service leadership is a more practical description of how a leadership should go. Indeed, a leader must pour every ounce of him for the betterment of the services of its institution. How an institution functions is defined by the leadership of its leaders. On cups there are countless examples of service leadership. From listeners to moderators, everyone works for the development of the cups society and culture. They are all firmly determined towards the quality leadership and I always seek to learn from them more and more.
I am trying continuously to become a better listener per day and I feel I can become a more better version of myself by going through the resources available on the cups, by taking part in the events organized and by socializing myself with the solution oriented environment so that I can also radiate the same energy with me to my members for it helps them feel comfortable, positive and confident in problem solving within themselves.!
Regards!
Ash.
@Ashvillium
It is true that leaders define the functions of an institution. I believe that's why better and open minded leaders create great institutions / workplaces.
@bubblingBreeze14
That's a great point you put out! We can create a better and more productive society by being stronger leaders.
@Ashvillium
Liked reading your answer. you have written with so much enthusiasm :)
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
HI
Well, I believe that leadership is not only about sending others to do your job but that they can be part of a work team, the leader must help those who have doubts, concerns or any contribution, I believe that a leader must be generous and understanding and he must give his all.
I have seen many good leaders in the 7 cups community, who always give us a hand when we feel lost, and I think they are always very gentle, always waiting for our doubts
I believe that to be a good helper I must be patient and listen to the ideas of others, sharing ideas makes the community feel supported and listened to, I believe that teamwork is the key to success.
@Crystaldancer
A nice definition for service leadership 
@bubblingBreeze14
Definitely agree! :)
@Crystaldancer
great answer cystal
I love that you have a theme of teamwork and empathy when you described what service leadership means to you! Those are two really important aspects that make up a great leader! Keep up the great work! ❤️
@Nerdtastic01
thank you nerd!