Course 1, Discussion 5: 7 Cups Culture
Hello Leadership Crew!
I hope you have been benefitting from this course. This is the last discussion of our course 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.
✒️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.
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗❗After posting, please...
1. Take the course exam here to complete course 1.
2. Take the leadership oath here.
3. Fill out the End of Trial form to complete your 2-week trial (Please check your email for End of Trial date.)
4. Proceed to Course 2!
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@Hope
Best Wishes and Good Luck Everyone!
@Hope
- The section about caring for people without the financial means to get proper mental health resources really stuck out to me. Even though the listeners here are not trained therapists, we can help others in a very impactful way and it is free for them! This is also so important because of the effects poverty, or just a general lack of money, can have on our mental health and yet all of the resources can cost so much!
- The "Strengths-Based" section is also very notable. 7Cups allows people to work with what their good at, improve what they aren't great at, and completely avoid topics that they are not comfortable with all to the exact extent that the listener is comfortable with, which is something I have not found elsewhere.
- Solving Problems That Matter - this is super important to me because it doesn't minimize the struggles that people go through. I find that, in society, people tend to downplay the extent to which mental health might impact a person's entire life. Being able to give that person the release that they need helps them and it makes me feel better about what I am putting into the world as well!
@Hedgehogs83
You're totally right, it is so important to take mental health problems seriously and it's so sad that so much of the world downplays it.
@Hope
The three main things I got from this were:
1. Failure is okay and actually embraced, as it serves as an opportunity to learn from the mistake
2. We are all expected to work hard and have some skin in the game to achieve our greater goal of making the world a better place.
3. We help a lot of people around the world who don't have the resources to get the help they need. I know the number (1.3 million people a month) is outdated and I'm sure it's higher now but even that is an insane number and I didn't realize there were that many -- that really makes me want to help out as much as I can.
@Hope
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.
The three most important things I learned in the 7 Cup guide are the need for Friendliness and Conscientiousness, Taking Care of Yourself, and Expecting Failure. I aim to be friendly and conscientious to others, but that should not be at the exclusion of taking care of myself. I also struggle with failure, so the reminder that failure is normal is helpful.
@CordialDancer
Failure is absolutely normal and part of the learning process! It's so silly how so many of us are scared over something natural. It's a shame our society has put such a negative connotation on failure.
@awesomeForever34
I really like seeing others answer with expecting to fail. It's a normal part of the learning process, and we never stop learning!
@SelfCareMatters
Absolutely!
@Hope ✒️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.
Equality- As a recovering people-pleaser, I've seen many instances of inequality, sometimes I've done to myself for other people, so I want to envision a place where there is equality, which I advocate not only for others but also for myself.
Self-care- I tend to get caught up with other things and forget to take care of my own self; thus, this is a non-negotiable for me.
To expect failure- As a recovering perfectionist, I have rejection sensitivity. Therefore, I want to be more open to mistakes since we are humans.
@wonderfulComfort5057 Wow, this quote, "As a recovering perfectionist" is making me feel empathy.
✒️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.
- Trust is one of the cultures I learned from because I think it’s hard to trust anyone. I failed to trust too much. But everything can change with wisdom.
- Solving problems that matter is important to me because it helps me to protect myself from cheaters and liars
- Collaboration is the most important to me because I used to work alone for so much time, and it was like torturing myself for decades.
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
Sure
@Hope
Accountability is important to me because it's something that I've been working on for the past three years in my life. During the three years that I didn't know I was suffering a TBI, I isolated myself in my bedroom. I did not go out, I did not see people, I did not work. Here, in 2025, I am out here showing up, early if I can. :)
I expect failure from myself. I don't like the word failure. Humans don't "fail". Cars fail to start. Refrigerators fail at keeping food cold. We either succeed or we learn.
I obviously find self-care very important. It's a true sentiment that you cannot take care of others when you do not take care of yourself. We can work ourselves into a place where we're irritable, negative, and tired. That can easily carry over into our tone with members. The last thing I want my members to think is that I find them irritating, or I cannot give them positivity and empathy.
@Hope
High Expectations & High Warmth: This is a very important thing for me because companies should behave like that.
Solving Problems that Matter : Ilike solving problems !
Take Care of Yourself : It's something that many people forget to do!
@Hope
Based on the comprehensive guide to 7 Cups' culture and values, here are the three most important things I learned and why they are personally meaningful:
1. The Explicit Requirement of 'High Expectations AND High Warmth'. This is vital because it addresses the core tension in high-performing environments. Most organizations choose one or the other. For a mission as sensitive as mental health support, having high accountability (to ensure service quality and consistency) paired with high warmth and safety (to allow volunteers/staff to take risks, fail, and grow personally) is the only ethical and effective path to success. The commitment to providing plenty of encouragement and guidance alongside high demands is highly reassuring.
2. The Priority of 'Caring for People with Fewer Financial Resources'. The guide clearly states that this is core to the organization's identity and that alignment with this value is non-negotiable. This is important because it solidifies the mission as fundamentally altruistic and community-focused, insulating it from the typical 'money-driven' defaults of other organizations. This commitment ensures the work remains meaningful and solves the most urgent problems in the global mental health space.
3. The Focus on 'Solving Problems that Matter' (The Problem is the Path). This principle is liberating because it shifts the mindset from rigid goal-setting (which can cause burnout/failure anxiety) to a continuous process of skill development. The idea that solving the next big problem is the career path itself—and that failures are expected and necessary steps—is highly motivating. It frames every challenge as a disguised gift that unlocks new knowledge and confidence (Self-Efficacy), making the work engaging and growth-oriented.
@LightsFromDark Hope you try to implement these on your journey of growth as well :)
Very reflective and insightful!
@LightsFromDark
I really liked your reflection. It shows how much thought you are putting into building healthy habits here. Keep trusting yourself and honouring your boundaries; you are doing a wonderful job, and the community benefits from your care.
@Hope
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.
- The thread highlights that
first : Accept failure
second: never give up
third: thrive towards improvement
@neverendingShiny7905
Great ideas!
