Jatinder Verma
Creator
2mo ago
Ek kadak chai dena?
“Bhaiya, ek kadak chai dena.”
That’s how my mornings start.
Same corner tea stall.
Same chaiwala.
Same tired me at 7 AM.
But one day, I saw him struggling — pouring, collecting cash, boiling, serving. I said:
“Why don’t you hire someone to help?”
He looked up, half-smiling:
“I tried. But they mess up.
Customers complain. So now I do it all myself.”
And just like that — I saw myself.
Because that was me… with Rohan.
Rohan was my most junior team member.
Smart, capable, but not “proactive” — or so I thought.
I kept thinking:
“He’s not ready.”
“He needs hand-holding.”
“I’ll just do it this time…”
What I was really doing?
Smothering growth.
Micromanaging without meaning to.
That chaiwala didn’t need more hands.
He needed trust in the hands he hired.
So I tried the same with Rohan.
Here’s what I changed:
🔹 I stopped saying “Just do this.”
🔹 I asked: “How would you approach it?”
🔹 I stopped fixing his work silently — and gave feedback.
🔹 I delegated an entire piece of backlog grooming — no backup plan.
The first time? He stumbled.
The second time? Less so.
By the third? He owned it — suggested a better process than I’d have.
He even mentored a new hire.
Something I hadn’t asked for.
All I did… was step back.
And here’s the lesson:
🧠 Coaching isn’t a luxury. It’s leverage.
🧠 Your team can’t step up if you’re always in the way.
🧠 Even the chaiwala knows this — through burned fingers and spilled cups.
Great leadership isn’t loud. It’s intentional.
So the next time you think someone “can’t” —
Ask yourself: Have I let them?
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