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. I think the idea of leadership to me is when leaders are working to help people, putting their best effort, being diligent and engaging by providing some contribution to this community and helping other to help themselves.
2. I like how there is peer support for people who had a to take a difficult chat or how listeners are willing to help other listeners in Group Chats even when they were just there to hang out.
3. I think I can be a better 'servant' to this community by improving myself, allowing for growth and being there to help people in need and by taking different roles and participating more.
@DancingHeart4982
I thought the group chats were a good example of service leadership too! It's what I have interacted with most so far on this site, aside from members.
@DancingHeart4982 I love the peer support too, with all that it provides.
@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?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I really like the idea of service leadership because it allows the 7Cups community to be more like an ecosystem not a leader driven group. By sharing power and putting other people's best interests first, the leaders here learn a unique, and I think better approach to leadership in which the leader cares about others and works with others to work towards a common goal.
The listener support groups with me are a good example. Though there are moderators/supporters in the chat groups that "lead" the group, when a listener needs support, it is often a collaborative process with regular listeners and the leaders to support the listener in need. Though the mod/supporters might have titles as leaders, they share power and put the listener's best interest first.
I can be a better servant by continuing to reach out for guidance toward other fellow leaders in the community, showing warmth/compassion toward members/listeners, and fulfilling my role while keeping others' in mind.
@mikacv
Great example of 7cups operating like an ecosystem. When we feed ourselves, we can feed other people. Nice work!
Service leadership for me is helping people and making the community and the environment friendly and open for people to speak up withought having the fear of being judged in any way.
I also appreciate each and every peers, mentors and leaders who help the members as well as listeners when they aren't in the best of health. It's a valuable what they do!❤️
@DarkPiT23 I agree. It's really nice to provide others the assurance that they will not be judged. A servant leader will surely make others feel comfortable by giving this assurance!
@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?
Answer: I think the idea of service leadership is very important because they are there not just to help members but also listeners, they are also important to functionality of our community. An example of service leadership is an Ambassador.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
Answer: To make sure that you have your own self care that you don't over do yourself as this can become draining and you won't be able to keep doing your best. Make sure to pay attention to how others are contributing.
- What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
= Doing services is something but taking a service leadership is something else, as it comes with more responsibilities and all for the goodwill. When I first joined as a listener and participated in the newbies' group chat, everyone was very helpful, welcoming, friendly and professional, they answered all my questions and not just mine but all the questions that were asked by everyone.
- How can you become a better "servant'' to our community?
= I am trying to enroll in more programs, not only on 7 cups but I am taking classes and courses with other places too, to learn the most so I can help with the utmost knowledge I can get and provide.
@Listeningstars
I think enrolling in more programs is a wonderful idea to become a better servant to our community!
@Listeningstars programs as you mentioned are good material and glad to see you use them.
@Listeningstars it's so great that you're doing so much to improve your knowledge and abilities to help others! You're doing amazing ❤️
@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?
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I think the idea of service leadership is wonderful, and is such a great way to approach leadership. By serving other people, we help ourselves as well. One example of service leadership that I'm seen here on 7cups is the mentoring program. Mentors are doing an act of service through their work. I can become a better servant to our community by first and foremost taking care of myself, and increase the amount of empathy I have.
@Gnibellen Taking care of ourselves is crucial indeed!
@Gnibellen it is a nice thing that you want to be flag carrier in this program. i wish you best in it.
@Gnibellen yeah, self-care is so important! As they say we cannot pour from an empty cup. Being compassionate towards ourselves is crucial to being good servants to others and preventing burnout.
@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?
Leaders are not only meant to lead. I believe leaders should empower the community as a peer as well. I am glad that I find this term Service leadership here. When I searched about the term Service Leadership, I found that Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa are some of few leaders who followed this style. They are without doubt the greatest leaders who inspires a lot of people like me. I think this leadership style is awesome!
Once when I hesitated to host session, a leader on 7 cups helped me by being my co-host. I was encouraged to take the spot light and was supported till the end. I have seen people here who is not only focused on shining but also making other people shine. It’s happy seeing everyone moving forward.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
I can become a better servant to our community by being encouraging. I'll pay attention and make sure everyone gets their spotlight.
@hopezzy it is nice to see that you learn a new things and good role model people.
Hello there!
Wow, leaders are not only meant to lead. I love it so so so so so much.
Sending energy and strenght,
Lots of love,
🌸Hana🌸
I also really love that leaders are not only meant to lead<3 there is a lot of things that contribute to being a leader<3
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I think it is appropriate for this community because heart of it to care for other people.
Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
Some listeners dm and share their thanks and ask if i need help with something.
How can you become a better "servant' to our community?
As a listener, better communication skills and knowledge can be learn here as taking courses and reading guides.
@dudewithaplan Awesome! And I think it's really wholesome that your listener friends reach out to you like that ^_^
Hello there!
Heart as taking care is truly a good point and excellent metaphor. I truly love it
Sending energy and strenght,
Lots of love,
🌸Hana🌸
@dudewithaplan 👍
What do you think of the idea of service leadership? honoring community, with contributions. Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups? Individuals posts helping to keep our community safe and positive. How can you become a better "servant' to our community? Pay attention to what mentor’s are doing. Be like them.
@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?
I really like the idea of service leadership. I think collaborative problem-solving is really important and that ideally, leadership is democratic, with the leader laying the groundwork for everyone to use their strengths to their fullest. Especially on 7cups, no one is necessarily “better” than one another. Thinking about people on 7cups in terms of a hierarchy is a no-no for me, whether or not they take a leadership role. A leader is just someone who has taken a different role on 7cups, and we all do our part to encourage each other to be our best selves.
How can you become a better "servant” to our community?
I think I can become a better servant to the community by becoming more knowledgeable and receiving training so that I’m better equipped to handle various situations - all the while, maintaining my own boundaries. Developing supportive and positive relationships with peers is also important.
@anjellyna and an example of service leadership I've seen: chat supporters and peer supporters are servants in that they assist fellow listeners through difficult chats, but they also help their peers improve on their listening skills.
