Leading With People

Leading With People isn’t your typical leadership book. It doesn’t throw buzzwords at you or promise overnight transformation. Instead, it invites you into the quiet, courageous, and often uncomfortable truth about what it means to lead—not from a podium, but from the heart. This book is about presence over power, connection over control, and listening over lecturing. It’s a call to show up as a person before you show up as a leader. 

Reading it felt like being gently but firmly reminded that titles mean nothing if people don’t feel seen, safe, and supported in your presence. It’s not about leading perfectly—it’s about leading personally, and with purpose. Here are 8 lessons that moved me and changed how I think about influence, empathy, and impact.

8 Lessons I Learned from Leading With People:

  

1. People don't follow titles—they follow trust.  

You can have authority on paper, but if people don’t feel you genuinely care about them, they won’t be moved by you. Real leadership is earned through consistency, humility, and connection.

2. Listening is leadership.  

Not the kind of listening that waits for its turn to talk, but the kind that leans in without an agenda. When people feel truly heard, they give you their best—not just their compliance, but their creativity.

3. Vulnerability builds bridges.  

Letting people see your humanity doesn’t make you weak—it makes you real. People are more likely to trust a leader who admits mistakes than one who pretends to have all the answers.

4. Empathy isn’t soft—it’s strategic.  

Understanding what your people are going through isn’t just kind—it’s wise. Empathy helps you lead in a way that aligns with people’s needs, motivations, and emotional realities.

5. The best leaders create space, not pressure. 

They foster environments where people feel safe to speak up, take risks, and be fully themselves. Leadership is about cultivating conditions where others can thrive, not just survive.

6. Your presence is your power.  

It’s not always what you say—it’s how you *show up. Are you rushed, distracted, reactive? Or are you grounded, present, and responsive? People don’t forget how a leader made them feel.

7. Leading others starts with leading yourself.  

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Self-awareness, emotional regulation, and personal integrity aren’t just “nice to have”—they’re essential leadership tools.

8. People are not problems to be solved—they are partners to be understood.  

Leadership isn’t about fixing people—it’s about walking alongside them. Every person you lead has a story, a strength, and a struggle. Great leaders take time to see all three.

Leading With People reminded me that leadership is a human art before it is a business skill. If we want to build lasting influence, we don’t need more control—we need more compassion. And it starts, always, with choosing people over ego.

Three Circles of Influence

"Three Circles of Influence," a concept popularized by Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This framework helps individuals to focus their energy and efforts on areas where they can have the most impact. 

The three circles are:

1. Circle of Concern (Outer Circle):

This circle encompasses all concerns that one has little or no control or influence over.

Examples include global events like climate change or political instability, economic conditions, natural disasters, or the behavior of others.

Dwelling on these issues can lead to stress, anxiety, and a feeling of powerlessness. 

2. Circle of Influence (Middle Circle):

This circle contains the things one cannot directly control but can influence through actions and decisions.

It's an area where individuals can try to effect change without guaranteeing success.

Examples include personal habits (e.g., diet, exercise), relationships with others, work performance, and personal development.

Focusing on the Circle of Influence allows positive changes and increases a sense of control. 

3. Circle of Control (Innermost Circle):

This circle represents things one has direct control over.

These are the areas where actions and decisions can directly affect the outcome.

Examples include attitudes, actions, responses to challenges, personal goals, time management, and communication skills.

Concentrating on what can be controlled reduces feelings of helplessness and increases empowerment. 

The Importance of Focusing on the Circles of Control and Influence:

Reduces Stress: By letting go of worries about uncontrollable factors, anxiety and frustration can be reduced.

Increases Effectiveness: Focusing on areas of impact makes efforts more productive.

Promotes Proactivity: This framework encourages a proactive mindset, taking initiative and seeking solutions within one's influence rather than focusing on problems outside of control.

Enhances Personal Growth: By developing skills and building relationships, one can expand the Circle of Influence and create a more fulfilling life. 

In essence, the framework suggests that by focusing energy on what can be controlled and influenced, individuals become more effective, productive, and empowered.

Turns Cactus Juice Into Edible, Biodegradable Plastic!

🌵 REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGH: Mexican Scientist Turns Cactus Juice Into Edible, Biodegradable Plastic!

Mexican chemical engineer Dr. Sandra Pascoe Ortiz has achieved what many thought impossible - creating plastic from cactus juice that's completely biodegradable, non-toxic, and even safe to eat! Using the common nopal cactus (prickly pear), she's developed an innovative plastic alternative that could revolutionize packaging and manufacturing worldwide.

AMAZING PROPERTIES:

This groundbreaking cactus plastic breaks down in just one month when placed in soil, and decomposes in only a few days when exposed to water. Compare that to traditional plastic bottles that take 450 years to break down, and plastic bags that can persist for 1,000 years! The material is flexible, durable, and resembles petroleum-based plastic in appearance and function.

SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING:

The production process takes about 10 days in the lab and uses the natural sugars, pectin, and organic acids found in cactus juice. No crude oil required - just nature's own chemistry! Dr. Ortiz, a professor at Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, is working on scaling up production to make this eco-friendly alternative commercially viable.

NATURE'S WISDOM:

This innovation perfectly demonstrates how solutions to our biggest environmental challenges often come from observing nature itself. The cactus, which thrives in harsh desert conditions with minimal resources, is now helping us solve the global plastic pollution crisis. It's proof that sustainable technology doesn't have to be complicated - sometimes the Earth has already provided the answers we need.

THE FUTURE OF PACKAGING:

This breakthrough could transform food packaging, shopping bags, and countless other single-use plastic items. When science meets environmental responsibility, incredible innovations emerge that benefit both people and planet! 🌱