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.
Questions: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of servant leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I think the ides of "Service Leadership" is great.
We have a lot of communities and projects where our amazing leaders lead them.
We can become better by working, developing and growing each day.
@VerseArt
I agree that we have amazing leaders with a lot of communities and projects! Would you mind elaborating on why you think Service leadership is great in your opinion?
@Aleks2
Service leadership allows the right amount of balance between freedom and accountability, between work and fun, and most importantly between a team and their participants which in this case are the community leaders and the people who join a community.
Service leadership provides you the idea of doing the work you are great at and doing it on your own time and using your own resources. This is why I believe the idea of Service Leadership is great.
@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?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I like the idea of service leadership because it means that we get to work professionally on our own and within teams, while also taking into account the perspectives of others.
To be a better servant is to be humble and open to learning new opportunities.
An example of service leadership could include Peer Supporters since there are constantly new pieces of info being spread around by other leaders who come from other walks in life.
@SynSavory
I can be a better servant leader by spending more time with the community.
@SynSavory
Great response!!
@Heather225
🌸 I absolutely love the idea of service leadership. It's based on the concept that instead of leadership being viewed as a position where all power is concentrated, but it's viewed as the concept of service of the leaders. Each contribution made by the listeners matter, whether it's on dealing with member chats, or carrying out roles within the community or both
🌸 In 7 cups, I've personally seen and witnessed many examples of service leadership. Listeners with numerous important roles and badges are always ready and accessible to fellow listeners and members, helping and supporting them. A big shout out and thank you to all our wonderful Listener community!
🌸 I could improve my service by taking self care breaks when required, understnding that it's okay to say no, and also knowing that my contributions matter
@ahealingEndoftherainbow22
I love your idea of service leadership :)
@ahealingEndoftherainbow22
I said the same thing about the centralizing of power, and thinking that we should be of service to others rather than people with a whole bunch of power with no way of benefiting others! Continue to encourage others to do the same!
@ahealingEndoftherainbow22 I agree whole heartedly that service leadership is really a step above other types of leadership styles. I share your enthusiasm too. Thanks for sharing.
I think service leadership is regarding a role or position on 7 Cups that involves helping others (so essentialy every single role)! A great example that springs to mind here is chat support. Our amazing chat supporters work so hard to provide intense support to those who need it. I take my hat off to you all 🎩
I think with time, experience and a little more knowledge-integration, I can become a better leader. I really hope that with a few more weeks, months, maybe even within a year, I can become a better leader. Everyone has room to grow!
@RebekahRebel
Wonderful response! I 110 percent agree with you that everyone has room to grow, it is a statement I try and remind myself every day.
@Heather225
To me, service leadership is all about having authority rather than having power. Being a service leader does not mean you're "better" than anyone, it just means that you care enough to be that "authoritative figure" looking over your community because you just care that much for it. I have seen many examples of service leadership on 7 Cups. For example, what @Heather225 does for us is an excellent example of service leadership! In my opinion, to become a better "servant" to our community, we need to be extremely humble and giving.
@Helpingsoul98 Yes! Being a leader does not mean "better" than anyone, just that you care enough to be that "authoritative figure." Yes! <3
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I cherish the idea of service leadership. It's a process of growth and development of people. It could be more demanding yet the satisfaction derived from it is unquantifiable.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
One example of service leadership would be a leader like GlenM who is passionate about the work that is being done here on 7CUPS and is ready to respond to anyone at anytime irrespective of how long you have been here. This also applicable to every leader here.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
By being ready to serve others sincerely without preference or sentiment. And also by being open and ready to share my knowledge for the benefit of the community and other people development.
@Beaconx I cherish the idea as well. Cherish is a lovely way to describe it. I also want to serve others sincerely without preference or sentiment. <3
@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?
Actually that's what I was thinking of when I joined 7cups. The best example of this is every single roles even listeners in this community. Everyone likes to serve. We are all leaders to serve.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I should go for the roles and take some trainings and probably open up more.
@Petrichor2000 I love how you noted that we are all leaders to serve! How eloquent. :) I don't know what you mean by open up more, but I'm always happy to chat with fellow listeners!
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?
I love the idea of service leadership. It feels so loving. One example of service leadership on 7 Cups is the peer support role. A peer supporter can help another listener feel better after a tough chat, and I think it's a wonderful service.
I can become a better "servant" by continuing to learn more about the community and accept constructive criticism.
@JaimieF
Constructive criticism is a great point!
@Heather225
Aw, I really love the idea and completely agree that a mentor badge is not giving someone more work; it's more of honoring those who are already contributing. There is also no doubt that 7 cups has a service leadership rather than a traditional leadership; afterall, we all are encouraging one another! Here are my responses to the 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 really love the idea of service leadership! It makes the whole community more collaborative and team work rather than being authoritative as well, which really builds the community positively :) There are honestly a lot of examples in our 7 cups community. For example, in the chatrooms, I've seen many listeners and members alike that respond to questions and even support each other, which is honestly very heartwarming to see.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
There are a lot of ways we can each become a better "servant" to our community. One of the most simplest way is to just complete the trainings, which increases all our understanding on the guidelines of 7 cups, boosts the quality of listening, and better serve our community through active listening. Naturally, we could also become a better "servant" to our community by interacting more and even volunteering for certain roles as well!
@DayDreamWithYou
Completing the trainings is a great way to grow more as a leader!
@DayDreamWithYou
Good response! It totally makes sense.. good luck for your role in the community.
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
The idea of service leadership is great, it reminds me of back to the 50s and 60s in China, the leaders always say that they are the servants of people, and that's what 7 Cups leaders should do as well. Service leadership provides a much stronger base for this ecosystem.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
There are always either peer supporters or chat supporters in the listener support room, and they always provide listeners with the fastest support.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
Contribute all of me, follow the oath.
@Irena0225 Great job on remembering the oath we all take! Fantastic work! <3
@Irena0225
That's a very good insight and I totally agree! Well said!
