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
I will lose control.
1. It will weaken engagement and new members.
2. They will avoid work and fall short.
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
This will either crate a low empathy environment or a low productivity environment
✒️ 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-not getting the best for the community
2-a negative relationship with the fellow leaders
@supportiveRiver8773 I think that these are great points and are very true! Having a low warmth may create an environment where empathy is low, which is not what we want, we want to create a safe environment with high empathy. And having low expectations would result in subpar work being contributed by or to the community. Low warmth may also cause strain on your relationships with fellow leaders.
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
This opens up the gates to further imbalance where effort and performance will drop, and there will be more opportunities for misunderstanding.
✒️ 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. A rift will begin to form due to lack of trust and there is no incentive or drive being shared.
2. It becomes harder for cohesive work to be done and there'll be more butting heads than progress being made.
That's very true
@FrenchToast
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
if there is an imbalance of expectations and warmth it can reduce the team's productivity. It can also make the leader seem unapproachable as the limited warmth is overtaken.
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 you if your expectations are too low, then the team will have reduced motivation, it can also reduce productivity and effectiveness overall. if you show too little warmth, it will make you unapproachable in the community and make you harder to work with.
so good @SerenitywithKat good luck with the course
@SerenitywithKat
I couldn’t agree with you more!
@FrenchToast
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
If I have an imbalance, like being too strict without enough warmth or too relaxed without clear expectations, it will affect how others respond to me. It could make people feel either overwhelmed or disconnected. That can hurt trust, motivation, and communication. Over time, it could lead to problems in how I lead and possibly make me unfit for the role.
✒️ How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact 1.) the community, and 2.) how you work with your fellow leaders?
1.) In the community, low expectations might mean people don't feel challenged or guided. It could lower the quality of support and make the space less meaningful.
2.) With fellow leaders, too little warmth can make teamwork feel cold or transactional. People might be less likely to collaborate or share openly, which weakens the team dynamic.
@FrenchToast
If a 7 Cups leader has an imbalance between expectations and warmth, it can cause confusion or demotivation in the team. Too many expectations without warmth create a cold and stressful environment, while too much warmth with low expectations can lead to a lack of direction.
Having too low expectations or little warmth affects the community because it can reduce commitment and trust, making people feel undervalued or lost. In working with fellow leaders, this can cause poor collaboration, misunderstandings, and lack of mutual support
@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 expectations and warmth, it would not lead to optimal results. Having high warmth and low expectations may lead to rules not being followed, or subpar work being submitted. Having high expectations and low warmth would make it difficult for people to develop good relationships with me and feel as if they can come to me if they have an issue. Having both high warmth and high expectations results in good relationships, and adherence to rules, deadlines, and guidelines.
✒️ 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 having too low of expectations would result in community members not really taking my posts seriously, or not putting in effort into replying to my posts. Having low warmth in the community may discourage members from reaching out to me to chat, ask for support, or ask questions. Having low warmth may make it hard for fellow leaders to connect with me and enjoy working with me, and having low expectations may signal to other leaders that if I request for something to be done, you dont need to put in effort into it (which should not be the case).
@FrenchToast
1) An imbalance could lead to unrealistic demands on the listener, making them feel unheard or trapped, undermining trust and creating emotional distance. The warmth is crucial for building a safe space and genuine connection.
2) Too low of expectations might create a stagnation where members become disengaged or lose motivation, while too little warmth could lead to burnout among leaders and listeners alike, as connections aren’t nurtured. As for fellow leaders, I think it could impact teamwork and collective decision-making, making collaboration less effective.
@adorableGrace87
This is an excellent observation and well-written analysis. I agree with your notion that a lack of balance with warmth and expectations only inevitably brings negative outcomes. It is definitely important to find the right balance in order to maintain and create a welcoming but also productive work environment. Thank you for your response!
Imbalance expectations and warmth create an unecessarily stressful environment hindering all progressions which could be worked on.
I believe low expectations are patronizing and micromanaging which errodes trust. People will find working with low expectations draining. Low warmth is harsh and makes people demotivated. We are humans so it would be friendly and kind to make people comfortable instead.
✒️ What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
Possessing an imbalance of expectations and warmth correlates to struggles in managing a work-life balance. When there are only high expectations and a lack of warmth, people may become so immersed in work to the point where their personal life is hindered and they become demotivated and tired. On the other hand, an environment where only warmth prevails leads to a lack of productivity and progress in professional goals.
✒️ 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 will ultimately disintegrate as there is simply a lack of balance of both expectations and warmth. Both must exist in equal amount for success to thrive.
2) Collaboration with fellow leaders will be strained and tensions will prevail.
