How a Broken Teacup Redefines Leadership

Leadership doesn’t always come from a boardroom or a business book. Sometimes, it shows up in the quiet corners of life—like in Grandma’s old cracked teacup.

It teaches us a powerful truth:

Not everything broken should be fixed. Some things need to be released.

One Topic: Teacup Leadership

The Cracked Cup Principle

Picture that favorite mug sitting in your cabinet. The one with the hairline fracture that slowly leaks. You keep using it, maybe trying to fix it, or telling yourself the leak “isn’t that bad.” But every morning, there’s still a puddle on your table.

Here’s the truth:

• We all have cracked cups in our leadership – broken processes, toxic team dynamics, outdated methods that we keep patching up.
• We waste precious energy making excuses for things that simply don’t work anymore.
• The solution isn’t complicated: put down the broken cup and pick up a new one.

Too many leaders hold onto failing strategies because of sunk costs or emotional attachment. But as my grandmother would say, “A leaky cup won’t hold tea, no matter how pretty the pattern.”

The 3 Quiet Laws of Leadership

1. Listen Like You’re Wrong

Most of us listen defensively, thinking about our response instead of truly hearing others. Real leadership starts when you assume you might be missing something important.

Try this: When someone challenges your idea, ask yourself, “What might they see that I don’t?” This single shift transforms conflicts into growth opportunities.

2. Fail Like a Gardener

My grandmother never mourned dead plants. “That’s next season’s soil,” she’d say while turning them into compost.

Great leaders don’t hide failures – they transform them. Each mistake becomes fertilizer for your next success, but only if you’re willing to dig it in rather than cover it up.

3. Lead Like a Lantern

A flashlight points the way, but a lantern illuminates the whole space, letting everyone find their own path.

True leadership isn’t about shouting directions – it’s about creating enough light for your team to navigate confidently. Sometimes the most powerful leadership move is stepping back and trusting others to shine.

The “Why” Filter

Before holding onto any strategy or process, run it through these questions:

• Does this still serve our core purpose?
• Are we doing this because it works or because it’s comfortable?
• What would actually happen if we stopped?

If the honest answers point to habit rather than results, you’re riding a dead horse. The solution isn’t to whip harder – it’s to dismount.

A Leader’s Everyday Checklist

• Toss the whip: Force creates compliance, never commitment
• Water the roots: Care for your people, not just your metrics
• Make space for quiet: Set aside 15 minutes daily with no input
• Rotate your crops: Introduce new ideas before old ones fail

The Teacup Truth

Leadership isn’t about grand theories or complicated frameworks. It’s about noticing the everyday cracks, appreciating the quiet wisdom around you, and having the courage to put down what’s broken.

What’s one “cracked cup” in your leadership that you’re still holding onto? This week might be the perfect time to let it go.

Read last week Read last week’s JustDraft newsletter about Pareto or 80/20 Rule.

Two Quote

The greatest leadership challenge isn’t mastering complex strategies but unlearning comfortable habits that no longer serve your purpose.

Leaders who collect perspectives before making decisions aren’t slowing down progress – they’re ensuring the path forward has been properly surveyed.

One Passage From A Book

Caring personally about the people who work for you doesn’t mean you should become their therapist or best friend. It doesn’t mean you have to have a drink with them or invite them to your home. It does mean that you acknowledge that they are human beings with lives and aspirations that extend beyond those related to their job. It means getting to know each person who works for you, about their career goals and about their lives—but only if they want to share that information. It means finding time for real, in-person conversations; making sure that your people can actually come talk to you when they want to.

📚 From “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott

P.S. If this story made you pause for a moment, forward it to someone else who needs a reminder: Sometimes real strength means saying goodbye.