Course 3, Discussion 1: Service Leadership at 7 Cups
The term Service leadership (based on the philosophy of servant leadership, in which the main goal of the leader is to serve). Sometimes leaders or community members who help with projects receive high praise for their efforts (and they all deserve it) but this is never to take away or undermine the contributions of listeners who fly a little bit more under the radar. How one chooses to spend their volunteer time on 7 Cups is up to them & we love you all the same!
We've long said that if you want to be a mentor, be a mentor, eventually you'll get a badge. These service leadership roles are incredibly important to the functionality of our community. The individuals in these posts do an excellent job helping to keep our community safe and positive. I am very thankful for them.
Service leadership is simply about where you plan to spend your time. To those of you out there who focus 100% on member chats, we LOVE YOU! To those of you out there who focus on community programs, we LOVE YOU TOO! All of these contributions are equally valuable and important. As a collective community, our aim is to honor your contributions, no matter where or how they manifest.
In this vein, my hope is that you will remember 3 key things:
1. Self-care - always! Make sure self-care is baked into your volunteer work here
2. Don't take on more than you are able. If you don't have the bandwidth to do something, you owe it to yourself and the community to say no. It is 100% okay to say no. (And if you are asking someone to help you with a project, please do not get upset if someone has to say no.)
3. Remember that 7 Cups is an ecosystem. Every single contribution matters!
If you'd like to be in a service leadership role, my advice would be:
1. Pay attention to how others are contributing
2. Figure out what gets you excited in the community!
3. Once you have an idea of what gets you excited, dive in! You dont need to have a mentor badge to help out, get involved & start learning.
4. If you're not sure how to get involved, you can chat with a mentor or sign up for listener coaching.
5. Once you feel comfortable with your area of attention, apply for the appropriate mentor track.
✒️ Question: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here!
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@FrenchToast
I think service leadership is a great approach because it focuses on supporting others, understanding their needs, and helping the community grow rather than seeking power or control. A service leader leads by example, listens to others, and creates opportunities for people to succeed.
One example of service leadership I have seen on 7 Cups is listeners and community leaders who volunteer their time to support members, guide new listeners, and create a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
@FrenchToast
Question: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I think it's a great idea and a great way to provide support for other people. An example would be I've met many listeners here who dedicate their time to welcome new members and answer their questions.
✒️ Question: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
Service leadership is all about serving others above yourself. I have seen some listeners reply and take any requests without question and do their best to offer the support they can
@FrenchToast
✒️ Question: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
I like the idea of service leadership. I think a lot of us come to 7 cups because we are naturally empathetic and want the best for people and so becoming leaders who serve the community makes sense to me. I see it all the time in the LSR. Lots of mods, room supporters etc who take time to support others and also acknowledge the collective efforts of everyone in the room. Beautiful stuff.
🌟 Joy 🌟
@FrenchToast
I like the idea of service leadership because it focuses on contributing rather than seeking recognition.
I have seen listeners on 7 Cups quietly support members and newcomers without expecting anything in return. I feel this is a good example of real volunteering and also service leadership.
@FrenchToast
Question: What do you think of the idea of service leadership? Can you list one example of service leadership you have seen on 7 Cups?
The idea of service leadership is akin to servant leadership when the leadership is related more to serving others.
One of finest example of such kind of leadership is our CDM program and the community participation. It is a voluntary service where the listeners, peer supporters and the group moderators altogether form the backbone of the 7Cups platform. We all come together to help each other.
In helping others do we find ourselves. That is more or less,my observation of the service leadership here on 7Cups. 🧡
Regards,
ApplePie8587.
@ApplePie8587
I love how you framed this, especially "In helping others do we find ourselves." That line captures the heart of service leadership.💙
@FrenchToast
i loved the idea of service leadership, it is about helping other people grow and feel safe, without needing any credit which is really touchable
For an example of service leadership here on 7cups you can see that as long as you surf the website, as most of the leaders and mentors are really welcoming , supportive and helpful for nothing but healing other people to grow
