Course 2, Discussion 3: High Expectations and High Warmth
Congrats! You made it the second course in the LDP! In this course, we focus on the specific interpersonal skills needed to be a strong leader on 7 Cups, including mastery of communication skills, time management, conflict resolution, stress management and empowering new leaders.
I know if you are here, you have read our values and culture guide. I would like to start off by further emphasizing one value that's required for a leader to be successful here, and that is balancing High Expectations & High Warmth.
Work environments with high expectations and minimal warmth tend to result in companies that are very driven, rule-oriented and risk-averse. The people do not tend to grow as much personally or professionally. On the other hand, workplaces that are high in warmth, but have minimal expectations, tend to struggle. Everyone is happy and feels loved, but not a lot of effective or focused work gets done.
7 Cups is high expectations AND high warmth. We expect a lot from you. You might feel like we think you are more capable than other people have suggested or maybe even more capable than how you see yourself. That is okay. Every person on the team has outperformed and done better than they expected. This is largely because warmth, patience, and trust help people make much more progress than they have in other environments. We have high expectations, but we will provide plenty of encouragement and guidance to help you get there.
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
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@FrenchToast
An imbalance, in my opinion, jeopardizes the integrity of your objective. High warmth and low expectations would foster a culture at 7Cups that is more supportive and has lower burnout rates, but we wouldn't have the motivation or objectives to fulfill the mission. Since there would be less support and camaraderie while yet demanding a high level of achievement, a leader with high expectations and no warmth is likely to experience more burnout.
I believe that an imbalance compromises the integrity of your goal. We wouldn't have the drive or goals to carry out the task if 7Cups had a more encouraging culture with lower burnout rates due to high warmth and low expectations. Burnout is more likely to occur in a leader who has high expectations and little warmth since there would be less support and camaraderie while still expecting a high level of success.
@Sompo2402
i will reply to my peer, when he/she comes
1. An imbalance of warmth and expectations leads to an unstable relationship between the 7 Cups leader and the members, in terms of trust and respect. Both need to be balanced for a safe, supportive atmosphere.
2. Too low of warmth leads to the members perceiving the leader as cold, fearful, or unaffectionate by the community, lowering trust, motivation, and communication with fellow leaders.
3. Too low expectations lead to the members perceiving the leader as incapable of promoting discipline in the community, and ineffective among fellow leaders.
@MicLartey1
Great thoughts! Thanks!
@FrenchToast
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
The whole system tends to crumble. Balance is critical in a good leader.
How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
As someone who's recently experienced an issue of this very type, I've noticed that it makes the group that needs the leader feel like a less safe or happy place. It also seems to make the group less productive.
@AnonymousAvocado01
great to hear that
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
if as a leader we ourselves have imbalance, I believe it will create a mistrust and loss of teamwork in a community
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
1. the community might not be able to trust us and welcome to us easily
2. our fellow leaders will not be able to work efficiently for the people because of less productivity
@rkive0777
I like your point about losing trust and not being as welcoming.
@FrenchToast
If you have too low expectations, people could feel unchallenged or disengaged and can lower overall standards. If it is lack of warmth they may feel discouraged or unsupported and create tension and reduce focus.
@TheHearthofBelievers
Exactly! It is important to have expectations and warmth. Growth is most likely to happen with both.
@FrenchToast
I think as a 7 Cups leader if I have an imbalance of expectations and warmth it could lead to problems or a lack of actually helping.
Low expectations can lead to community not moving forward with solving their problems, while too little warmth may lead them to be unable to grow as much personally. This will impact how I work with my fellow leaders because I will expect them to have high expectations and high warmth.
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
I believe that warmth in every conversation you have is imperative, the expectations that our members have from us is high. We should always strife hard to meet these expectations. Recently, due to some personal emergency I had to step away from a conversation was not in a position to inform the member and I got a feedback that my response was slow. I have always been very careful to mention my availability information to my members, but sometimes we may feel we can get back but if we drop the ball there, the user may feel abandoned - no talk is trivial - we need to be very clear about our availability and set the expectation very clearly. Take the time when you can and make sure your warmth is something that is of an infinite supply.
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
I think my previous response calls out the impact very clearly.
Users will feel abandoned and this is something we cannot take lightly. We need to be on top of our game with all the warmth that we can offer.
@courageousPup5706 Great work!
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If there is too much expectations without warmth, people may feel pressured anf may withdraw to themselves, rejecting any opportunities for connection. If there is too much warm and not enough expectations, they may feel supported but unmotivated to move forward in bettering themselves.
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
In the community, low expectations lead to little engagement. Too little warmth would lead to everyone feeling unwelcome.
With fellow leaders, low expectations may lead to a lack of accountability, and a lack of warmth may lead to uncomfortable teamwork.
@Adrestia Good points
@FrenchToast
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
Ans. Imbalance of expectations and warmth can affect the morale and motivation to do perform a role effectively. And the purpose will also get affected by it.
How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
Ans. Having too little expectations will
1) Impact the community as it will create a less progressive mindset thus the overall development will be hampered by
2) it will affect in the team work and the quality of delivering purposeful work on a group setup
Having too little Warmth
1) can impact the community majorly as the actual purpose will not be served which can't be achieved without warmth.
2) it will also impact on work relation abd collaboration with fellow leaders as they will not feel connected.
@TowardsTheR8Intent very good post!
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If I have an imbalance of warmth and expectations, the team will not succeed. There needs to be a balance in order for everyone to grow and succeed!
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
- The community could feel like they are not valued, if there is too little warmth. If expectations are too low, the community could begin to lose its quality.
- If there is too little warmth, leaders may drift apart and the work might be more isolating, or there could be no support between leaders.
@blissfulSoul2347
I really liked your reflection! You explained the importance of balance so clearly. It’s true — being kind while still holding people accountable creates a much stronger and healthier team. You’re absolutely right that both structure and empathy are essential for real progress. Cheers!