Understanding 7 Cups Culture (LDP Discussion #5)
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Hello Leadership Crew!
We are wrapping up the first course today with our last discussion on culture. Look for more instructions in this post to take the final evaluation for the course to your graduation. Once you have this course complete, you will be 20% done the Leadership Development Program. Good work!
Let's start by looking at the wikipedia definition of culture:
--Culture (/ÃkÃltÃÃr/) is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.[1]
We take culture seriously on 7 Cups because it is the heart of how we operate. A wise person once said: You teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are. We can have all of the best training content we want, but if our culture is not strong, then we will not be successful in growing a thriving, compassionate, community that will make a global impact.
Every organization has a culture whether by design or by default. When culture (including values and mission are not called out or made explicit, the organization defaults to an implicit or unstated culture. The unnamed culture is not always great for the end users or the community. An example of a common and implicit cultural rule or norm is that the person that makes the most money or the organization is the most important. People that work in this organization then, naturally, because it is the culture, start organizing themselves around ways to make more and more money. The ones at the top of the hierarchy are the ones that make the most money. 7 Cups cares less about money and more about compassion. We call out compassion and celebrate compassionate people because that is central to the work we do.
Please read our guide here to deeply understand our culture. We have made it explicit because we believe it is important to help us all be accountable to what we stand for and believe in. As leaders on 7 Cups, you will be models that emulate our culture and values.
One theme you'll notice in our guide is that it is very proactive, which is the opposite of reactive. We act first, we design first, we implement first in order to make an impact. Companies that react allow events to shape them; we instead try to focus on where we can have influence and shape events before they shape our community.
Part of being proactive is critical because building culture online is more challenging than building a culture offline. Offline interpersonal and group relationships are easier in a number of ways. People are generally much better behaved when they are right in front of you and it is easier for people to sync up and work towards a common goal. Online cultures have less of these natural strengths so you have to be extra proactive to build a strong culture. Look at most communities on the Internet. Unfortunately, they tend to devolve and become less than safe places with a lot of hate, sexual, and harmful behaviors. Our training system, the badges, word filters, moderators, etc. (dozens of behaviors we do) are all designed to proactively build and reinforce our culture so that we do not experience this same kind of entropy. Internet culture can be like an escalator going down. You have to be very proactive and take 2 or 3 steps up at a time to maintain and strengthen gains. As a leader on 7 Cups, you will be part of that group that gets behind us and enables us to continue making forward momentum.
That provides the broader background context to why we care so much about our culture and values at 7 Cups. They are core to our work.
To help make it more real, in this post, please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
After posting, please...
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@GlenM
There are definitely more than 3 things that I find really valuable witin the guide, however if I would have to pick 3 of them, there would be the three following sections: "Your Work Matters", "Trust" and "High Expectations & High Warmth".
The reason as to why I have outlined the three sections mentioned above:
1. Your Work Matters
I believe this section perfectly portraits and explains the reason why each individual volunteering on 7 Cups is an important asset from a societal point of view. When it comes to leadership, I believe this section perfectly highlights the importance of building leaders and helping them develop thei active listening and supportive skills. Nevertheless, it provides a tremendous amount of motivation for each of us - knowing that you make a difference and are able to save someone else`s life is helping you as a listener to set up goals and never give up on sharing/spreading positivity and support throughout your own spare time.
2. Trust
This section shows the importance of mutual trust when it comes to reaching mutual goals; the approach of celebration and gratefulness towards ones that show they can be trusted offers insights as to why and how important guidelines and rules are here on 7 Cups. Trust is essential in building a positive community and gives people the opportunity to grow and develop themselves by offering quality and recognition.
3. High Expectations & High Warmth
"Both high expectations and high warmth are required for us to be successful." - 7 Cups
This last section explains how important the relation between the two, "high expectations" & "high warmth", actually is. In order to make sure requirements and goals and met/achieved, high expectations have to be set, so everyone can look up to community and self development at all times and reach for getting better and better at all times - such mindset enables listeners, leaders and 7 Cups itself to assimilate feedback, reflect on it and improve. High warmth gives individuals a prosperous space for self development and the necessary motivation to strive higher at all times.
@GlenM
The first thing that I learned is that our work matters. This helped me realize that the work I am doing is actually really helping others and I am doing a good job sharing my positive vibes with others.
The second thing I learned is that trust is a really important factor in our community. If we do not trust one another then, our community won't be able to grow. In order to do that, we have to build trust also; we need to trust others in return.
The third thing I learned is that friendliness and warmth is another important factor in our community. To help build trust in our community and help it grow as a warm and safe place for people it is necessary for us to be friendly.
Thank you for the guide. It helped me see a clear vision of our community and it reminded me that I am doing good work
Three things I learned from the 7 Cups Culture Guide:
1. Trust is really important to create a warm and compassionate enviornment in a community.
2. Failure is expected, it normal and its okay to make mistakes because it helps us to learn better.
3. Equality is a very important aspect because every single person is valuable and deserves equal respect and equal rights.
@GlenM
please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.
1.Caring for People with Fewer Financial Resources
I think its important no matter how much money someone has,they deserve to be cared for
2.not draining "gas tank"
I think theres some actions that defiently can be draining to us and 7 cups
3.taking care of self
Im learning more and more everyday how important self care is,Im glad 7 cups supports it
@GlenM
The three things that I learned and are important to me are:
1. TRUST - I believe trust is important and is often the foundation upon which relationships are built and It is great that one of the primary values for 7 Cups is trust. It helps build culture and commmunities.
2. High Expectation -High Warmth - It is sometimes difficult to find a fine balance between both, and it is very important to do so, if focused on any one, we loose a lot of quality and unable to go as farther as we want to. I love how & Cups has high expectations of us and also is warm and welcoming :)
3. Solving problems that matter - As the guide said to be truly successfull we need to solve the problems that matter which are right in front of us and as we do that, we evolve along the way. Finding a balance between what we are interested in, what we are good at and what is an important problem to solve or goal to meet is a balance that is interesting and will reprodue highly efficient and motivated results. I love that more is expected of us than we expect from ourselves, looking forward to solving problems.
Hope to become a better leader here and make significant contribuitions :))
@GlenM
..........
(Question: Please highlight the 3 most important things you learned from our guide and why they are important to you.)
1. Faliure is normal and shouldn't be taken heavily. Failure should be taken as ways of not solving a problem.
2. Be accountable. Every leader should be accountable to the duties that they signed up for and should be able to make sure they can complete the duties before signing up for something.
3. Collaboration. As a leader, we should be able to help another person to solve their problems as well as ask for help when there is something that I don't know.
4. Self-care. Taking care of your physical health and mental health should be put as a priority before anything else. (Extra, as I feel this is also important)
..........
1 self care is important.
I think doing self care helps you stay freash and helps you not getting a burn out. After the self care Break you will be more willing to put in work and be more energized.
2 expect failure
I think life is all about making mistakes growing from from them. I think that one of best way to become a master of something. I think having supportive leaders around you can. Make failure more easy to deal with.
3 trust
I think trust would help the team know that that working will get done and Can be trusted to do what they said they would do.
1. Trust creates a decentralized system
2. Low warmth and high expectations means people don’t grow: common in military and security employers
3. Conscientiousness predicts success
I like how you put the good and bad together
My learning in 3 points are:
1. The importance of inclusivity. Every time we say 'Hello' to a "stranger" (fellow listener/member), it feels like saying the same thing to a "stranger" you met in real life say in an elevator. Before I would generally ignore and mind my own business, now, I have the confidence to "Stretch My Hand First" and ask how they are doing out of the blue and have a great elevator ride full of laughter and conversation as opposed to awkward silence.
2. The power of listening against the power of solving. Yes, sometimes we need shortcuts and solutions but most of the time, we just need a shoulder, an ear to hear us out. To validate our feelings, our emotions, and most importantly our struggles. Meeting people from all walks of life here on one platform shows you, you aren't alone and You matter.
3. Sharing helps. When we share cultures, we give a platform to everyone. From east to west, cultures may differ greatly, but the real joy lies in sharing it. Celebrating it together.
I really liked how you summed that up.
@Colorfulcatsofhope 😄😄
@JoeyTribbbiani good summary and wish u well for the course
@specialSnow9454 😄😄
@
- Goal setting is the secret to a compelling future.” — Tony Robbins
Hi @GlenM
The 20 points of the community culture are equally critical and rather indispensable. But if i have to highlight 3 most important things, then here they are:
Trust
Because without trust in the community’s values, mission and culture , and trust in other members of the community as well as trust that I'm being trusted, all the other 19 mean nothing.
High Expectations & High Warmth
How are we going to be a part of this web of loving and compassionate support systems both as a provider and a receiver without high expectations and high warmth to ourselves and to others? How are we going to be a part of the group to make a momentum forward if we failed to have high expectations and high warmth towards the community and vice versa?
Take Care of Yourself
Quite fundamental particularly for the nature of this community I suppose. If my cup is empty, how am I going to help fill yours and vice versa?
⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Brilliantly constructed program 😁
Cheers!
Totally agrees with everything you said. Keep up the good work.