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!
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.
Well, Service Leadership is being in a leadership position where you can provide service to people – lead/ guide people towards their goals. Sometime hand hold them to find their purpose, directions and reach their goals. On 7 cups, almost all the roles like being a listener, listener mentor etc are Service Leadership. To become a better leader, one need to 100% attentive towards the member and time management is the key.
Hello there!
Time management is an EXCELLENT point. Thank you for mentioning it. I love it. As Well as it is so amazing you pointed out The same shared identity and purpose!
Sending energy and strenght,
Lots of love,
🌸Hana🌸
@AliveandAlive leading and guiding other people to their roles is super important for service leadership <3 you are also helping others learn to do service leadership as well and ultimately can contribute to the community greatly in this way !
Hello there!:)
I think service leadership is an conscientious aspect of being a leader contributing by their actions to The community and its system. In my opinion, it is a beautiful aspect of The bond and unity and kinda The ecosystem of this platform.
One of them are listeners managing The Group support chats.
I can be a better servant by trying my best, taking care of myself and other people. And by growing.
Sending energy and strenght,
Lots of love,
🌸Hana🌸
@Livingtohelplive taking care of yourself is extremely important and can really help with becoming a better servant to the community <3 in order to contribute and care for the community as well as site, you must also remember to take care of yourself so you can do your best work possible !
@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?
Ans. In my perspective, the concept of service leadership is gaining popularity by helping others to develop. As example, providing peer support fellow listeners on 7 cups is one of them. I've applied for peer support role, hope that will help me to serve better on 7 cups community.
@rriyad the peer support team is a great way to serve the community better and be more involved ! <3 you are really helping out other listeners in this way and putting your best efforts into doing what you can :)
@Heather225
the idea of service leadership is being a good role-model through putting effort, time, and work into the community :) teamwork is also a very important aspect, and you should be willing to work with others as well as work independently ! what you do for the community and how you do it reflect on your service leadership work and skills <3
as an example, i have seen many people with leadership roles continuously contribute to the community and put their best work into what they do ! it's extremely admirable and it really inspires me to do my best work as well :) it makes me happy to see so much effort being put into what they do for 7 cups
i can become a better "servant" to our community by doing my best with participating and giving to the community <3 i should be willing to be involved as well as prove that and kindly contribute whenever i am able to !
@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?
Service leadership is for me is to being honest with yourself and being others and help then grow in the process for example every listener talking to the members or mentors doing mock chat this site is an itself example of service leadership but small things me is people do here makes people's day it makes it more rewarding .
@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?
Service leadership is for me is to being honest with yourself and being others and help then grow in the process for example every listener talking to the members or mentors doing mock chat this site is an itself example of service leadership but small things me is people do here makes people's day it makes it more rewarding .
I can try my best and stay healthy and drink lots of water and by being patient
I really like your points about being honest with yourself and that the small acts and contributions that you make can be so much more meaningful sometimes
What do you think of the idea of service leadership?
I really like the idea of service leadership. Leading is not about power or numbers, and leadership is not just a position you or role you have. It is how you interact in situations that make you a leader. It takes true passion and dedication through interest and not recognition, praise, or rewards to be a service leader.
Can you list one example of servant leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I think that everyone on cups is a service leader. We would not be here if we didn't love to volunteer, help people, and believe in what cups is all about. An example of servant leadership on cups hosting sharing circles and discussions, they are giving their time to be a supportive and caring person to all the members.
How can you become a better "servant'' to our community?
One way that I can become a better servant leader is to take care of myself. When I'm at my best self, my contributions are more meaningful and thoughtful. Then I am able to better help the members with care and kindness. When I am taking care of myself I am working on becoming a better leader which makes our community better.
@Estrellitaa
I agree with you Self-Care is the most important thing that you can do for yourself. What is one Self-Care thing for you that you must do so you can help member's here? I know you're doing great!
@Estrellitaa Self-care is important. Most of the time, neglecting self-care causes exhaustion which in turn makes us ineffective.
@Estrellitaa
Well said. You elaborated on the points.
Question: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 better “servant “to our community?
I think it is a good idea to serve the community
because the leader here looks at the employees first and serves them more than his service to himself as a leader, which is different from the traditional leadership, and the focus is the prosperity of individuals, where he puts them in the first place and helps them to develop, grow and improve performance to the highest levels, instead of people working on The leader’s service happens the opposite, and thus the collective performance will be better than it is in other companies because of the spirit of cooperation and love for the other.
For example of service leadership I seen on 7 cups:
I found that the leaders and mentors here are at the service of the listeners and members and they provide the best information they have in the forums and also a service to the listeners of importance and value in 7 cups.
How can you become better servant to our community?
I can certainly become a better servant to our community when I am passionate about serving the community and its people and know why I am passionate about this task.❤️
@Zahraa000
It is great to know that you are passionate about the community. I know your doing a great job also.
@Zahraa000
A very nice laid out answer, I really think you've nailed this! Whoohoo!
@Heather225
To me, service leadership is very important and it is the desire to do something that would contribute to the community. One example of service leadership that I have seen on 7 Cups is that mentors and other listeners are always ready to reach out to help their fellow listeners and provide them with support. I could become a better servant to our community by reaching out within the community and connecting with listeners who need help.
@NoelleListens
I agree with what your saying here. Have you been out in the community checking posts since you posted this?
Service leadership is doing what I can to complete the task with the upmost important values of 7Cups and my personal values. I’ve seen in the forums where listeners are supporting members. How I can become a better servant to the community is to go into the forums and listen to members and help them the best that I can to help them when they need it. Also to be better in the community more than I have been.