Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #2) Service Leadership at 7 Cups
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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!
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1 think Service leadership is a good way for work to get spread out among the team or Community and for the work getting done. Everyone would get just the right. Amount work not too little or not too must . It really shows what the expectations of each role is.
2. Lsr
peeer support that can help out after a hard chat.
chat support can help out during a hard chat and answers chats
chatroom mentor mods The room to keep it safe and supportive and answers questions
3 I. Need to be more willing to go out of my Comfort. Zones and take risks to help cups out.
I need. To be more willing to ask for help when I need it
@Colorfulcatsofhope
Awesome reply! Asking for help can be incredibly difficult, can't it? I wish you all the best in your quest to be a better listener! <3
@Colorfulcatsofhope
Yes, those are good examples of servant leadership. Well done <3
@Colorfulcatsofhope
I love your desire to step out of your comfort zone. that is awesome.
@Colorfulcatsofhope
I loved the point of going out of your comfort zone! I feel like we all need to put more effort in trying new things regardless of our fear
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think that service leadership can be something really helpful and especially important in an environment like 7Cups where the main goal is to help people and to help people help themselves as well. I think that like this post says, it's a great way to equalise the power, it makes things more balanced, it lends to the idea of equality that is so important here and everywhere. I think it also makes it easier and more productive when those in leadership roles are focusing on how they can help the people they are leading, rather than just how they can further their own position.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I think that the mentoring that happens, both officially and unofficially is a great example of this. Whether it comes through specifically asking for and receiving a mentor, or just little bits of advice shared between members and listeners alike, I think that is an excellent example.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I can try to participate more and continually work to improve my listening and community skills — as well as acknowledging the fact that taking time for self-care is an absolute essential.
@GlitteringNights
This was so interesting to read.Thank you!
@GlitteringNights
I agree, self-care is really important to perform well 
@GlitteringNights
Self care is soo important an its great that you can recognice that. Having help from a mentor is also great. Hope you contnue the good work.
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 really like service leadership, because it feels more “getting your hands dirty”, as if you’re doing work with people instead of for them, or walking with someone instead of just giving them the directions. I think a good example I’ve seen is always the forum mentors, they lead by example most often! They’re the ones posting supportive threads, replying to people, and showing the way to be a good forum supporter. A good way to be a better servant...show, don’t tell! Like a good movie or book :) Show up for support (in ways that you are most comfortable with). For me, I always like to think, “what would I want to get out of this site/community, if I was the one seeking support?” and act according to that. Have reasonable expectations, but take it seriously.
Service leadership is when someone decided to make it Christmas-themed game schedule in the current events chat. I don’t know if it ever happened, since it didn’t seem like it ran, but the idea was there and I appreciate that.
Service leadership is definitely a unique aspect of leadership in general. Participating in service leadership is simply giving back to the community through leading and inspiring the people with utter dedication and clear vision.
Every single listener on 7 Cups is living proof for service leadership. We vonluntarily giving up our time to help and support anyone in need on 7 Cups without complaining or feeling discouraged.
In order to become a better "servant," I want to be a good listener and actively participate in discussions as well as chatrooms.
@JoeyTribbbiani
You've put this in perspective for me. You're right. Every member of this community is a servant leader in some form and that underpins 7 Cups' success - among other factors.
@jovialButterfly6752
😄😄
@JoeyTribbbiani I agree completely. And especially about how 7Cups is such a wonderful platform :)
@JoeyTribbbiani
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 really loved the idea of service leadership. It enables everyone to contribute equally and also to increase the overall involvement in a community. One example of servant leadership that I have seen here on 7 Cups are Peer Supporters who are always there to help the fellow listeners after a difficult chat. I could be a servant to the community by improving my active listening skills.
@sia1325
Peer support, chat support, mentors, etc. Are great examples.
@sia1325
I agree with you on the equality and involvement part
Hi @Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think it is substantial and leadership is best understood in the context of service.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I've seen the example a lot in both listeners and members and even more in many leaders here including you.
And I'm very fortunate that i got to see examples of Service Leadership from:
My mentors: They showed me further the meaning of supportive, compassionate, resourceful and most importantly responsibility to the roles they are taking.
My Program Coordinator and Team Leaders: If you see the team dashboards, you will see that they are the ones who serve the community the most.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
1. Know my limitations whether it is skill, time or energy.
2. There are many ways/options for everyone to contribute. Choose what I'm good at and what I'm excited to do.
3. Do what I chose with responsibility and high expectations of myself and fellow team members.
4. Focus on serving others when doing my tasks/ whenever i'm here.
5. Learn and continue learning including asking if I don't know and ready to be corrected.
6. Never underestimate self-care and take a break every once in a while (just like office work, we all need that leave time to refresh).
⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎Cheers! ❤️
@ouiCherie
Beatifully written. Good job!
@MyNameIsNicole
Thanks Nicole ❤
@ouiCherie
As one of the listeners said, this really was well written!
@mxmes
Thanks mxmes ❤
@ouiCherie
These are great points! A good leader is aware of their strengths as well as their shortcomings - this keeps them humble but also encourages a growth mindset.
@jovialButterfly6752
Thanks Jovial ❤
@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 that servant leadership should be practiced in every systematic workspace. I already knew that 7 Cups practiced 'Servant Leadership'. I learned the term when I watched Glenn's video on YouTube.
An example of servant leadership: I am a forum supporter for the Disability Support Community, and I strive to pay attention to our members and make sure to answer any questions they may have and support them in the way I can.
I can become a better servant to the community, by constant practice and regular training to grow my skills as a leader.
@MyNameIsNicole
Growing your skills is a great way to improve yourself as a leader.
@MyNameIsNicole
Yes practice and continued learning. Life is a journey, not a destination. Great job
@MyNameIsNicole Thats right dialy practice and desire to improve will really help you to succed. All the best for your progress in LDP.
@Heather225
I love the idea of service leadership, I beleive that when you are in an attitude of serving, that is when you can better lead.
An example of service leadership are the quality mentors, they do an awesome job, helping maintain/improve the listener quality at 7cups.
I would like to become a better servant leader to the community by participating more in the community and helping build a healthy culture, be accountable myself and be warm to others and also have high expectations of them.
@Heather225
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
Service leadership is a great way to contribute to the community. Service leaders often set an example for other listeners or members which might inspire them. They offer so much to everyone and I am so grateful that they exist.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
An example of service leadership is helping out someone who needs support or who might need help with learning how to do something. Basically it is being there for someone when it is needed, or even posting in the forums to make people happy or see how they are doing. Like peer support or chat support, PS helps listeners after they have had a hard chat, while CS helps with ongoing chats and answers the questions.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I can become a better “servant” by trying to improve my skills as a listener and indulge myself in the community a bit more. I could also take more members and listeners chats when it is needed! Just trying to help out the community in the best way possible, but with self-care involved.
@mxmes
CS and PS are a great example and I agree with you on the self-care