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
1)What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think it's very self-less when you put the needs of others above you. It reminds me of the book by Simon Sinek called "Leaders eat last".
2) Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I would like to say the host of sharing circle is a great example. Listeners are not supposed to share but they can support the chat room and encourage other members to share.
3) How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I think although being a servant mean putting needs of others above myself, in order to serve well, I actually would need to first understand my needs and limitations, so that I can serve when I am fully charged with self-care and have enough gas in my energy & emotional gas tank!
@kindLemonade
Really like that you mentioned self care on the 3rd point! 
It is only when we are fully charged ourselves, that will enable us to serve others better!
@kindLemonade
I love your answer Lem, I've read the book you've mentioned and it really inspired me. Also, thank you for highlighting self care, its very important and 100% true and essential.
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
The best thing about service leadership is that it focuses on the community to which we belong. While traditional leadership is more like exercising power over others, service leadership is working with others to serve the community and make it a better place. Service leadership also comprises being a superb role model! Service leaders set an example for others and inspire them to follow in their footsteps. They never consider themselves superior to others, but merely consider themselves servants to the community they're contributing to! They enable and empower the entire team with their focus and enthusiasm! And lastly, being a service leader is not about the title you hold, it's far more about the actions you go through with.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
There are soo many examples of service leadership on cups! One example I have seen is being a mentor! Mentors support and guide others to reach their goals! Their work here is highly appreciated and they make this community an encouraging and supportive place.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
In order to become a better servant to the community, I can practice teamwork as this will help me feel part of a community. I have to learn to say “no” and draw the line where my limitations are. Everyone needs to focus on their own health as well be it emotional health or physical health. Self care breaks are crucial as it will help us work on ourselves and return with twice the energy.
Overall, I believe that we should all work towards the concept of service leadership and look after ourselves at the same time!
@cuteeeezombieeee
@cuteeeezombieeee
hey! i really liked your thoughts on service leadership.
@Heather225 To me, service leadership involves just putting your best foot forward and contributing to the community in ways that are comfortable and within your limits.
An example of service leadership I've seen is by the wonderful programme mentors who make sure everyone stays up to date with their tasks and coordinate the entire programme.
I can become a better servant to this community by constantly working to grow and improve my skills as a listener.
@Readylistener I liked how you mentioned improving. Too often people believe they do not need to improve after learning a skill, when there is always room for improvement.
Q: What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
A: According to the dictionary, service means an act of helpful activity; help. And, leadership means the position or function of a leader. ability to lead. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction. the leaders of a group. I think the dictionary gives me a clear definition of service leadership and I will follow it.
Q: Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
A: I do not know of any one who is like service leadership on this site, but, Jesus is a really good example!
Q: How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
A: According to the dictioinary, servant means a person in the service of another. So, when I serve others I should focus on the person. Be there, for him/her.
@loveagape It's so cool that you defined the words to better understand! That's great insight you brought to the community!
I think that the idea of service leadership is really unique and benefit our community. An example of service leadership I can identify is a peer supporter ( my dream position) because they serve the community by helping listeners after tough chats. This is vital because it helps the mental health of listeners so everyone can continue to serve at peak performance. I can better serve the community by taking a mental health break when I need to so I can do better work here at 7 cups.
I think that the idea of service leadership is just amazing. It creates a feeling of 'we' instead of 'I'. It helps creating a sense in the mind of the members that they are not alone and that someone out here will always be happy to help them. One amazing example of service leadership that I've seen here on 7 cups would be the amazing members and listeners in the chat room. They are there to always help each other out. I've sometimes seen even members talking to other members when they are feeling low. Just trying to make others feel better is really an amazing thing. Also, the amazing listeners who check on the members they talked to earlier. Taking time out of their schedule to ensure that they help someone. I believe every act done here by the members and listeners is an amazing example of service leadership. I believe I can be a better "servant" to the community by trying to actually take some more time out (more than I do) and help the fellow members. Joined this leadership program be to a better person and to try and serve here on 7 cups in a better and efficient way.
@SweetDreamer69
I really like the way you described service leadership at the beginning i.e. 'we' instead of 'i'! That sums it up so well X)
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think the idea of service leadership, which operates on the basis that the leader exists to serve the people, is noble and all encompassing. This would make for the strongest foundation to most if not all successes, in my opinion.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
An example I’ve seen would actually be in the very community of 7 Cups itself. I can see it almost everywhere, in the chat rooms and in the forums – it is the people themselves, be it the mentors, the moderators, the supports or even the regular active listener – they are all eager to serve others and help each other grow and perform better as a whole.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I can become a better ‘servant’ to the community by taking up a 7 Cups Academy program like this one, regularly training myself as an active listener and providing support to both members and listeners alike. The key is to want and be happy to serve for the good of all!
@Cristen I liked how you mentioned the 7 cups academy programs. The training is definitely useful.
I think servant leadership is important in a community like this because we are helping people. One servant leadership position I have seen is a mentor. My mentor personally helped me when I became an active listener. I will help serve the community by being there for others when I am able to, and will be able to say no when I need a break.
@ Heather225 I believe that service leadership is an umbrella term that incorporates all terms of service and leadership. It is where one altruistically support another and at the same time sets out to be a good role model and serve the community to the best of their abilities. A form of service leadership that I have observed is in the listener sharing circle and support chats where listeners help one another at times of news and at the same time provide their tips, strategies and encounters to tackle certain issues projecting out to be a good example of an ardent leader. This is also carried forward with empowering other listeners as well. I believe that I can be a better servant by improving my gifts of listening and by offering diligent and consistent support to the community of members.
Hello Everyone!
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I really like this idea of service leadership. The idea of sharing power, putting the needs of others first, and helping people develop and person as highly as possible is really great. The contributions made by a listener who is contributing their volunteer time in listening to our members and a listener who is contributing their volunteer time by getting involved in community programs/activities are equally valuable. And as a collective community, our aim is to honor the contributions, no matter where or how they manifest. Also, 7 Cups is an ecosystem, every contribution matters. These all make me really like the idea of service leadership.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
There are many examples of service leadership but the one I would like to highlight in this post is about mentors as they are contributing their volunteer time to serve the community and the main thing is to train our listeners so that they can better support and listen to our members. This is helping the community and the listeners and also, indirectly to members to have a better safe space to share their feelings.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I always try my level best to give my best to my work and fulfill my responsibilities. I always look for ways to improve. I like to receive feedback/reviews as they help me to know more about how I am actually performing and to develop and grow more to become better. Lastly, I try my best (:
Thank You!
@SuryanshSingh Thank you for recognizing these people and things. It's much appreciated. I agree that training our listeners is very important. I'm glad to see that you like feedback. People who like feedback give themselves the opportunities to learn, train and grow.
@SuryanshSingh Great answer ! I really like the effort you have put in your answers
@SuryanshSingh
I love how you mentioned the sharing of power! Our 7 Cups community is built up of tons of people with a lot in the service leadership positions. We can't always do our jobs alone and when we get to that point where we can't handle it anymore or need a break then we know we have a team worth willing to step in and help out when we need it.