Course 4. Foundational Leadership Principles: (Discussion #4) Lead Within the Community
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 4, 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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Welcome back, crew! We've discussed leading yourself and others. Let's talk about leading ÃÂ within the community!
A car is a ÃÂ system that has different levels of components. Each component is a system in itself like engine, accelerator, gears, clutch, tires, seats, front deck, mirrors, and so on. Each of these components is also a system too. But when they are integrated into one big system, it comprises the bigger picture as a car which facilitates movement from one place to another. ÃÂ
Similarly, 7Cups is a system. A system of small systems that have their own defined set of goals but contributing towards a bigger goal (community goal).
When you are a lead of a project, you are not just leading your own project but also within the community as well. Examples: Verified Listener Program, Active Listening Tests, Listener Coaching, Quality Mentor, Listener Support Chat Rooms, and so on are individual projects that contribute to supporting a user to become a better listener to support the member they listen to and the community at large. Everyone is functioning as an integral part of the system. ÃÂ
To ensure the smooth operation of your system and the whole system, you need to collaborate with other community and project leaders to problem solve and be well synced. ÃÂ
Everything is interlinked and interconnected. You are part of the community and leading within the community. And, when everyone collectively gathers together to achieve one purpose, we are cultivating a sense of community solidarity.
Exercise:
1. ÃÂ Give an example of how you are part of this community and how are you contributing as an individual, as a team, and within the community. ÃÂ
2. Please reply to 3 of your peers in the thread!
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please proceed to the end of Course 4!ÃÂ
This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program Team, find out more information about the program here.
@Heather225
Questions:
Give an example of how you are part of this community.
By being an ATL and PS (Adult-Teen Listener and Peer Support, respectively).
How are you contributing as an individual?
By giving my best on all my 1-on-1 member chats, as a listener.
How are you contributing as a team?
By posting on the forums somewhat regularly, as well as participating in the chat rooms.
How are you contributing within the community?
By taking this LDP program course from start to finish, of course!
@WatchingOverYou
Thank you for all that you do in this community, you are awesome!
@WatchingOverYou
That's amazing, thank you for what you do for our community!
1. Give an example of how you are part of this community and how are you contributing as an individual, as a team, and within the community.
-I am part of this community as a verified active listener, teen star leader, and a few other things.
-I am contributing as an individual by listen and offering support to members, as well as working with my mentees, and offering chat support.
-I am contributing as a team because as a part of the chatroom team we help kept listening chatrooms safe and supportive with the rest of the team, as well as help support other teen stars and help make resources.
-I am contributing within the community by doing my best to be a positive, encouraging member of this community and to help others, as well as help myself learn and grow!
2. Please reply to 3 of your peers in the thread!
Okay!
@hopedreamlove
You do awesome work! I find spreading positivity makes such a difference in how people feel on a site.
I am a part of this community by trying my best to help members out when they need it and trying to engage with my fellow listeners whenever I can.
As an individual I am doing my best to answer all the messages I get promptly and setting a block of time several times a week to listen to members
As a team we are all doing our best to provide support for the listeners and we are team simply in the fact that we all have the same goal and we are all here to support each other
Within the community, I am trying to gain a leadership role to be able to support my peers.
@lovelyNight9853
I'm always struck by how important those individual actions are to the specific people who are on the receiving end. I'm sure that the individual members who receive prompt responses and feel supported by you are very grateful. 
@lovelyNight9853 You are doing great and it is glad to see that we share the same goals, going the same direction! Keep up your good work!
I agree 100%, well put
@Heather225
The way I'm reading this post is as describing different levels of scope for understanding actions and goals. I'm doing a few things, but will just use just one of those (Quality Mentor) as a focal point.
As an individual, my contributions as a Quality Mentor are the specific actions and impacts that I directly create for other individual listeners while interacting with them in that role. For example, if I talk to a listener and they come away feeling more comfortable or informed or like someone cares about how they're doing, then I have individually contributed to the well-being and skills of that listener.
At the team level of analysis, I am just a single moving part in the broader Quality Mentor team. The Quality Mentor team as a whole contributes by responding to the broader set of listeners who approach that team looking for assistance.
At the community level of analysis, the Quality Mentor team is part of a broader Quality Track that includes multiple teams/systems all contributing to a track/community-wide goal of improving the quality of support that 7 Cups listeners provide to members. The teams or systems within that umbrella interact with one another in various ways that serve the broader community goal. (E.g. New Listener Support Team referring new listeners to the Quality Mentor team, member reviews generating Listener Coaching requests, etc.)
@QuietMagic I think you have very clear goals and you are already doing great! Hope you can achieve your goals
@QuietMagic
Exemplary answer.
Exceptionally well defined roles.
I continue to learn from you.
@QuietMagic wow! amazing response!
@QuietMagic These are some very interesting roles! I really admire you for organizing it well!
1. Give an example of how you are part of this community and how are you contributing as an individual, as a team, and within the community.
As an individual: Do my work as a listener, try my best to help people out
As a team: Help other listeners try their best, share my experiences with them
Within the community: Encourage people, provide caring and supporting words
@Irena0225
Sounds like you are doing amazing things! Thank you for all you do!
@Irena0225
Sharing your experiences with other listeners is something very valuable!
@Irena0225
Wonderful and compassionate approach!
@Irena0225
Well done! You are doing amazing.
@Irena0225
Encouraging others is a great way to build the community that we got here. It sounds that your doing amazing at it.
@Irena0225
Sharing experiences can be very much helpful.
@Irena0225
👏👏👏👏
@Irena0225
These are all amazing controbutions! Keep up the amazing work!
@Irena0225
I like your breakdown of how you affect the community on different scales. Great post!
@Irena0225
That`s amazing <3 Well done and keep up the amazing work!
@Irena0225
you have great contributions within this community. keep up the fantastic work!
@Heather225
1) The goal of the 7cups community is mainly to provide members with quality listening. I am a listener and a leader in the community.
As an individual, I do my best to give myself enough self-care
As a team member, I am an encourager and a supporter
To relate the community towards that goal, I put my efforts as PS, CM, and LC.
2) Sure
@DonaldDraper
You are so awesome, thanks for your dedication!
@DonaldDraper
Self-care is very important, and it's great to see that you engage it in!
@DonaldDraper
Appreciate the work you do!!
@DonaldDraper Self-care is the core of being able to continue what we all do! Great job!
@DonaldDraper
👏👏👏👏
@DonaldDraper Thank you for all that you do ~
@Heather225
1. Give an example of how you are part of this community and how are you contributing as an individual, as a team, and within the community.
-So within the past couple of months, I have joined various roles. I am on the safety patrol team, room supporter, and sharing circle host. I hope to be peer support soon. I am a long-term listener, so some members I check in with periodically to see how they are doing. I’m starting to do more check-ins in my sub-communities
@shiningDay80
Well done
@shiningDay80
👏👏👏👏
@shiningDay80 Thank you for all this amazing work ~
@Heather225
Give an example of how you are part of this community.
I am part of this community by getting more involved in leadership roles, but continuing to do 1:1 chats.
How are you contributing as an individual?
As individual, I want to continue to stay in touch with the real purpose of this site and that is being a resource to support members. So I am continuing to balance taking on leadership roles along with continuing to do 1:1 chats
How are you contributing as a team?
As part of the team, if I am in a chat room and someone needs help with a chat and no one steps up to help or take the chat, I always lend my support.
How are you contributing within the community?
Within the community, I recemtly became a Quality Mentor, I am working on Safety Patrol and just trained today for SPOT. I want to be sure that the beautiful resource 7 Cups has established, continues to be a safe, secure place for members and listeners.
@KindnessMatters2020
Nice answer! Well done!
@KindnessMatters2020
such great role and fantastic contribution. So glad to have you here.
@KindnessMatters2020
Balance between leadership roles and other work is very important!
@KindnessMatters2020
Sounds amazing!
@Heather225,
I'm a part of our community by offering support to listeners during and after difficult chats.
As an individual, I'm contributing through mentoring other listeners to be the best they could be 💙
As a team, I help to manage the Verifiers team (as a project agent) by running trainings and assigning brand new verifiers with experienced ones.
By being a Teen Star in the Anxiety sub-community, I help out with events and spread awareness. I feel as though this is a very important experience and role to help out the general community.
@RebekahRoyal Thanks for all that you do!
As an individual, I am here as a listener. I respect every single member and listener on here and I see them as my family.
I like to encourage, motivate, and support the people in this community with my utter dedication and clear vision.
@bubblyJulie
Thank you for all you do in the community!