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.
What do you think of the idea of service leadership? I like the idea of service leadership because instead of leaders being at the top and everyone serves them, the leaders are at the bottom. It's like a triangle. Leaders are at the bottom they help to serve everyone else and the community.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups? One example of servant leadership that I have seen on 7 Cups is leaders leading by example. They lead but not just as a regular leader, they lead with the intent to show examples of leaders to everyone else.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community? I can become a better servant to the community by leading by example, serving others and supporting others and also being there for the teams.
@Heather225
Alright, so here we go!
1. For me, service leadership refers to serving the community and doing our work with utmost concentration, taking into account our roles and the welfare of others working alongside us and the people involved.
One example of service leadership would be when the listeners are taking part in group chats and showing their love and compassion for each other as well as the community.
2. I can be a better servant to the community by trying to be a better listener and adding more to my listening skills every day, especially in those aspects I find more appealing, such as group chats and community programs as well as encourage my fellow peers and listeners.
@marvelloustree1111
You're absolutely right! 
There's always something to add to our active listening skills and become better everyday!
@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 servant leadership, I think it is almost like a subcategory of kindness. I have seen many people just message me if i seem like something is wrong. They will just say hey are you ok i saw you in TCR.
I can be a better "servant" by taking about a week every couple months to get more training in and focus on the community!
@AdylynS great answer!
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I like the idea of service leadership.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
One example of service leadership would be a listener who is passionate about the work on here
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
By being a team player and interacting with everyone involved.
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think it's awesome as it helps people to realise their goods and bass help them know their right skills and roles Which also helps the community to grow
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I think it'd be the listeners who have many roles and they help the community grow and also help other people to grow and of the Alps take member chats then it's even better as it they also help the members
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
It can be by raking up roles (as long as we are comfortable) and helping the community grow through then or even my simply taking member chats we help it grow
@shiningSky3745
I feel excited to read your answers, I think it's because of the colorful text too! And agree with you that taking up roles and responsibility can help us be of service to others, but choose wisely so it's still within our capabilities!
@Heather225 What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think service leadership is very important andis the key to a lot of resorces.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
Yes. Those listeners that keep up with some bages aka leadership roles, such as ps, cs, lsc, ld... and still take member chats!
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
Practicing self care and accepting feedback
@thisisirene
I'm glad you know the value of self care and constructive criticism! Keep doing what you're doing! Best of luck on your journey✨✨
@Heather225
Service leadership it interesting concept – putting other interest first and help them in developing. It like growing together.
Valuing other a little contribution also. That motivate other in keep doing good work. Doing what find of interest and not try to fit which make them feel uninterested.
This is something I had observed that if it academy program or any role they give us freedom that first explore whether you like or not. If not you can drop it . So 7 cups interest is making our interest as our strength to get best of us within.
By being better listener. Definitely keep improving my active listening and keep learning more thing and most important keeping member at priority and self care. Make member feel heard, care and support.
@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?
To me, the idea of service leadership is a form of leadership in which a leader puts others first and make contributions to the community in a way that support others. Regardless of what positive service act is done, they are all equally valuable. One example of service leadership which I connect the most are the roles done by discussion leaders in community chats and the sharing circle host. These are forms of service leadership because they devote their time and effort in providing support for other members in the community, leading to a positive impact in the members such as their stress relief.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I can be a better "servant" to the 7 Cups community by identifying the forms of service leadership which I enjoy the most and perform the best. If I can get an insight of what specific role I can enjoy, perform my best, and also develop me as a person throughout the Leadership Development Program, I can produce better quality work which will benefit the community more.
@UnicornsCottonCandy
heyy! dear i really liked how you defined service leadership.
@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?
Service leadership is knowing how to serve your community. It means giving your heart to the community to build a stronger one so everyone has a part in helping better that community. It means he3lping everyone to know that their part in the community is appreciated.
This is my first time being introduced to the idea of service leadership and I like what I'm reading :) To me it seems like a good meaning is put into our work here, and that we should do our work with the ultimate purpose of serving others in mind. I really like seeing service leadership when listeners help each other in answering questions and taking over difficult chats in the Teen Listener Room.
I can become a better servant to our community by making sure to take care of myself so that I can take more chats with members, I can also attend more courses in the Academy to get exposed to more aspects of being a leader in 7 Cups.
@herealways27
It was my first time coming across the term "servant leadership" too! And also for me, I chose engaging in self-care as a way for me to be of service more to others!
@herealways27
Loved your response! I'm glad you find the idea of service leadership interesting! I hope you find this journey a fulfilling experience.