Understanding 7 Cups Culture (LDP Discussion #5)
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 1, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity. 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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Hello Leadership Crew!
We are wrapping up the first course today with our last discussion on culture. Look for more instructions in this post to take the final evaluation for the course to your graduation. Once you have this course complete, you will be 20% done the Leadership Development Program. Good work!
Let's start by looking at the wikipedia definition of culture:
--Culture (/ÃkÃltÃÃr/) is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.[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.
One theme you'll notice in our guide is that it is very proactive, which is the opposite of reactive. We act first, we design first, we implement first in order to make an impact. Companies that react allow events to shape them; we instead try to focus on where we can have influence and shape events before they shape our community.
Part of being proactive is critical because building culture online is more challenging than building a culture offline. Offline interpersonal and group relationships are easier in a number of ways. People are generally much better behaved when they are right in front of you and it is easier for people to sync up and work towards a common goal. Online cultures have less of these natural strengths so you have to be extra proactive to build a strong culture. Look at most communities on the Internet. Unfortunately, they tend to devolve and become less than safe places with a lot of hate, sexual, and harmful behaviors. Our training system, the badges, word filters, moderators, etc. (dozens of behaviors we do) are all designed to proactively build and reinforce our culture so that we do not experience this same kind of entropy. Internet culture can be like an escalator going down. You have to be very proactive and take 2 or 3 steps up at a time to maintain and strengthen gains. As a leader on 7 Cups, you will be part of that group that gets behind us and enables us to continue making forward momentum.
That provides the broader background context to why we care so much about our culture and values at 7 Cups. They are core to our work.
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.
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 trial!
4. Proceed to Course 2!
This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program Team, find out more information about the program here.
@GlenM 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.I would like to highlight Trust warmth and and helping others these three are important to me because it’s always easier to talk to someone who is warm and friendly or even to have a community of warm people Trust because it’s hard to to trust but when you have a community of trustworthy people it makes it easier and helping others succeed is something I wished every company would do it’s good to lift up others and not just think about self
@Hope4Tomorrow32 Hello Hope. Please note that this is an outdated thread and we no longer use this for LDP.
You would have received a mail containing all the right links.
The three most important things I learned to surround yourself with Fulfilling work to feel better about your stuff you do.
I also learned how to make sure you get the stuff done and be friendly to other people I also Learned How to know what problems to put my effort into
@GlenM
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:
1. I learned that you cater to low income and I think that's important because it makes me mad that not everyone has access to a therapist and that's what's recommended.
2. A lot of it describes the dream job. But everyone wants to be accepted, however a good job improves people. And that's what you do.
3. To add to #2 you expect failure and that's part of growing. I appreciate you.
@GlenM
What I truly discovered through this journey is that even small efforts carry weight. A few sincere words, genuine attention, or quiet understanding can shift someone’s entire day. Impact doesn’t always have to be loud to be meaningful.
When I joined, my intention was simple — to be someone who shows up with kindness and patience. If my support can reduce even a little bit of someone’s stress or confusion, that itself feels like success.
Authenticity and trust
Honesty in conversations creates safety. When people feel they are speaking to someone real and not being judged or rushed, they open up more freely. Trust grows when we respond thoughtfully and consistently.
Active listening
Listening is more than replying. It means understanding emotions behind the words, giving space when needed, and responding in a way that reflects care rather than assumption.
Unity and shared purpose
A community becomes stronger when we respect different experiences and perspectives. When we support one another with understanding and patience, we create an environment where everyone feels included and valued.
