Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #1) Welcome to Course 2!
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 2, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and follow the instructions given. Save your responses to a document that you can later refer to. You will need to copy/paste your response in the course evaluation form at the end of each course to show that you have done the work and to refresh your memory.
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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.
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Question: 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?
Activity: Please reply to 3 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
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@Heather225
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
What happens if I have an imbalance is that I wouldn’t be as dedicated not committed to working with the community and this would also reflect with the persons around me. For example if I had too much warmth and not enough expectations while yes I would feel good and appreciated but then end up slacking or putting off difficult tasks; if I get too high expectations and not enough warmth while I would achieve more and understand that it’s because I have capabilities I wouldn’t feel appreciated enough nor feel any real purpose behind the work. I’ve experienced this in a couple of ways such as when I was in dance and even sometimes my current work while I would be given the high expectations with my abilities and not warmth it would be too robotic whereas with other areas like family I would be given all the warmth but sometimes not enough expectations in terms of what I should do to take care of my surroundings.
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?
Having too low expectations or warmth would impact the community because they wouldn’t care or respect for each other. They would turn to more reactive behaviors and from not overcoming the hardships would lose something that can potentially strengthen them. They would also feel alone but also useless and it’s the last things they want to feel in a community they seek to be a part of when in their real world they get treated that same way. This would impact my work with fellow leaders in that there walls would be built between us and things would happen or not happen without everyone’s awareness which would eventually collapse the unity and harmony of the group. Like if one leader was telling another about their mistakes without giving the warmth and understanding the other other leader would eventually recede and try to not reach out again so they won’t feel hurt again even if they could improve their work.
@Mari228 thank you for sharing your insights. I have to say I highly resonate with some of it and I agree with your points as echoed in my own responses. I look forward to responding to more of your insights, I hope you don't mind :D
I think engagement with other community members would sink too low. Other leaders would feel there was little contribution you could make at times and at other times you would succeed.
@Heather225 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 the community and work with fellow listeners?
High expectations and high warmth are needed in careers and platforms such as 7 cups where we work together to achieve the same goal of supporting each other and being there for each other.
How it can impact the community-: We as listeners or as people always have a scope of improvement. With high expectations and warmth, we can achieve that goal of improving. Low expectations can satisfy us with what we are, and we might not be able to contribute more as a listener to our members and support them in their difficult journeys. Having expectations from us pushes us to work harder and contribute more to the leadership roles we have. Low warmth can be a turn off to provide more to the community or the feeling of pressure and dominance can overtake it and we might not contribute as much as we want to contribute to the community or the leadership role
Impact on how you work with your fellow leaders. High expectations and high warmth from our fellow leaders would help them achieve more efficiently under their comfortable pace. Improper balance might not lead to proper functioning of a certain task. High expectations with little warmth can put them under the pressure to complete it or high warmth and low expectations wouldn't help them in achieving more and contributing to the community. Hence high expectations and high warmth should go hand in hard to achieve something bigger and more efficiently
@yourbuddy30 thank you for sharing your insights! As always, yours remain nuggets of wisdom and I cherish your thoughts :)
I agree about a comfortable pace. We each have our own that is effective for us and just because someone may be slower or faster than ours means one is better than the other. Truly, it is an important thing to note as leaders moving forward <3
@Heather225
@Heather225
@Heather225
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of expectations and warmth?
I have an imbalance right now, it means you need to organise your time more effectively, which I struggle with but organising time is key, reach out for help if needed and don't be frightened to ask for help.
How do you think having too low of expectations, or too little warmth, will impact
1.) the community
Having low expectations, I see is like love, if you have little of it and your low, it impacts everyone around you, so likewise, having low expectations and little warmth will impact the community hard, how you approach things will affect others, so even when I am down, I can pop that to one side because listening to members is very therapeutic and will spread to everyone, if you promote love, you receive love, if you promote hate, you receive hate
2.) impact how you work with your fellow leaders?
I think this is a very interesting question, I spoke earlier in the course about my love for trees and how they have a special place because they are so relatable, and they are! so if we as a root is dying, this will impact on the leaders, so it is ultimately important to talk to the leaders if struggling so they are aware of your situation and how to support you, and believe me, they will support you! :)
1 low expectations and low warmth
A community
It would lead to no one knowing what is expected of them and not much growth would happen.
B fellow leaders I would not what know what to do and I would not be a good team mate.
B Low warmth
There would be a lot fights and trusting issues. The work would not get done and lack of leadership.
I would withdraw from my fellow leaders since places with alot of drama I do not do well in.
@Goalsforlife thank you for your insights <3 I very much agree with what you said about drama developing in the community which is very unhealthy in any space of work whether online or offline. It can be toxic and it will take more than usual to motivate people to come back here and volunteer should that be the case.
This a very important thing to note as we all evolve into the leaders that we can be :) thank you! <3
@CosmicMiracle
Could have never said this better!
@Heather225
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?
If I have an imbalance of expectations and warmth, it will result in a negative outcome and not help myself or anyone else. 1) It will impact the community inefficiently and it won't help those succeed or grow. 2) How you work with your fellow leaders will make it difficult to work with them and grow as a team.
@zareya
Very good insight!
Hello everyone,
1: I believe that having too little of expectations will result in not meeting my goals & or goals of the community. I believe that everyone needs a little bit of a challenge to make life interesting. Anything less than a challenge just won't match the work effort.
2: As I said above everyone needs a challenge & part of that challenge is encouragement from the community. If you don't have warmth in the community or in yourself then the challenge is pointless.
Question: 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?
@Josh3889
I like how you've voiced your opinions, and I wholeheartedly agree!
@Heather225
I think, as a 7 Cups leader experiencing low expectations wouldnt have full potential to allocate which might make group disorganised, and feel less supported. But also I wont be trusted or wont be responsibile enough for rest of leaders which might be a negative meanwhile impact my leadership quality.
I think, as a 7 Cups leader experiencing low warmth would have lack of sensation of working in teamwork with leaders here which might make them feel im not enthuastic about this project or my task. Might get disconnected from communication and socially absense for members and leader which might create impact in community for making works and works which have been assigned.
@iStarlight
You made some really great points! It's nice to have a fresh perspective on these kinds of issues!
@Heather225
What do you think happens if you, a 7 Cups leader, have an imbalance of these?
As a leader, if I have an imbalance of these, it will cause those I’m to guide collapse. Just like a pyramid.
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?
Community: the low expectations might be spread on to others and then they spread on to others that they come into contact with possibly resulting in a corruption of moral integrity throughout the community.
Fellow leaders: It may lead to unforeseeable conflicts with the fellow leaders of the community.
@Immakindlistener22
I really like how you address community impact with these issues, as "word of mouth" can have impact, as well as potential conflict with other leaders. Great perspective!
