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.
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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.
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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.
@Heather225
Questions: What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
It's a group of linked roles, that act as a two-way street, passing information to each other to help other to grow
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
All the Listeners who give up their time to not only talk to members, but also give their learned knowledge to other Listeners as a mentor or community leaders.
I am going to be taking on more responsibilities and more 1-on-1 chats
@Soul576These are great reflections on the questions!
@Soul576
I felt that we had similar answers and responses! I agree with you when 7cups is a community and I feel that we are all the links and chains that hold it together....
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think service leadership is important in sharing power within the 7 cups community, as it forms meaningful, supportive interaction, putting need the others first, as well as helping to develop a more trusting community and help assist to perform as highly as we can (personally & other).
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
It's hard to give one example to share, as I have seen many examples on 7 Cups. However, I have seen the service leadership principles applied have been in Sharing Circle, Positivity Room. I have seen shared power, needs of others first.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
Continue to listen & learn, continue self care practices.
@Heather225
-Service leadership, to me, is doing any task or listening/assisting needed and contributing to 7 cups community and by advocating mental health, active listening, responsive feedback, can be a great role model for others.
-One example I constantly see of great leadership is that I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the Mods and Comm Mods who take up chats with members in chat rooms who seem like they need happening and a new members returning members do not feel included, the Mod is there to bring them into the chat and be more involved, like when hosting Sharing Circle or greeting new members in Positivity Corner.
-I could be a better servant leader by being a better listener, Mod and member every day and trying to participate in discussions, forums, and hosting in Sharing Circle more often.