Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
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Your Next Clear Move
How Leaders Overcome Career Plateaus
Feeling stuck? You're not alone. Career plateaus happen to everyone—even the most ambitious leaders. That moment when progress halts, motivation wanes, and you question whether you've reached your peak can feel isolating, but it's actually an extraordinary opportunity for growth.
What does a career plateau really look like? Sometimes it manifests as diminished enthusiasm for your role. Other times, you might feel overlooked for promotions or hit a salary ceiling with no upward movement in sight. The trajectory of your professional growth flattens, leading to questions about your value and purpose. The good news? This plateau isn't your final destination—it's a launching pad for your next leadership chapter.
Breaking through requires specific strategies that transform stagnation into forward momentum. Start by examining your self-talk; negative internal narratives can create invisible barriers that limit what you believe is possible. Gain clarity about what you truly desire in your career and understand why these goals matter to you. Adopt a growth mindset that views challenges as learning opportunities rather than insurmountable obstacles. Perhaps most importantly, let others help you—mentors, coaches, and professional networks can provide perspectives that accelerate your progress. Remember, acknowledging your plateau and seeking solutions means you've already begun the journey toward renewed growth. As I always say, "You don't just go through it, you grow through it."
Ready to transform your career plateau? Commit to taking one immediate action within 48 hours of listening to this episode. Whether documenting your achievements, setting new professional goals, or reaching out to a potential mentor, that first step will build momentum that carries you forward. Rate and recommend this podcast if you found these strategies valuable, and visit DebbiePetersonSpeaks.com to learn how my clarity leadership strategies can transform your organization.
Hey, hello and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast. This is the place where busy leaders come, and those who aspire to leadership as well. They come to get the tips, tools and techniques that they need to create more of an impact in their leadership and life, but doing it without sacrificing themselves in the process. And today we are talking about how to break through a career plateau. So in this episode we're going to talk about what a plateau looks like. You may be in one and maybe you don't even realize it, what it is that you can do about it and how you get started. So stay tuned.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast, the place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life. Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:You know, in your career, encountering some sort of plateau is really very common, but that doesn't make it any less challenging. So, for those of you stepping into leadership roles, this phase may be marked by a halt in progress, that maybe you've hit a wall. And it's not just about oh my goodness, I'm in a career slump, I've hit a plateau. It's not just acknowledging it. It requires strategic thought and action and understanding how to navigate being stagnant in your career, this plateau. Being stagnant in your career, this plateau, it's not just about your professional advancement, but it is also about you becoming an effective and influential leader, because if you've gone through this, then you've learned some lessons that you'll be able to pass on to the teams that you either lead or will lead. So here's why looking at this topic matters, especially for aspiring leaders, the significance of navigating a career plateau. It can't be overstated. It is your opportunity to embody resilience, adaptability and to develop the capacity to transform challenges into chances for growth. You don't just go through it, you grow through it. So getting beyond this stage says a lot about how you will handle other challenges in your leadership, in your organization. So what does a career plateau look like? Well, it can show up in a lot of different ways. Maybe it is a lack of enthusiasm on your part. You're not motivated, you're feeling stuck. Maybe it's the responsibilities of your entire role. Maybe it's just certain responsibilities in your role that you're just not entire role. Maybe it's just certain responsibilities in your role that you're just not satisfied with. Maybe it's feeling like you're overlooked for promotions. Maybe it's reaching the dreaded red line, the salary peak, with no further movement in sight. A career plateau is a period where the trajectory of your career, of your professional growth, appears to flatten, and it can lead you to question your value, your worthiness, your purpose and your future direction. You know, maybe you give up on something and it's not about the thing that you want, but it's how you're going about it. So how do you break through? That is what we really want to get to here, and I want to give you a few techniques to consider.
Speaker 1:Number one is be mindful of your self-talk, because you could inadvertently undermine your own potential before you've even started. The narrative you hold internally has significant effects on your confidence and your decision making. How you talk to yourself matters. Negative self-talk can act as a huge internal barrier and it can limit your perception of what's possible for you, for your career, for your leadership, and also know that, conversely, positive self-talk or constructive self-talk can empower you. It can help you uncover ways forward. It can help you find ways to take bolder steps towards reaching what you want. So make sure that you're continually listening and adjusting, monitoring your self-talk.
Speaker 1:Number two gain clarity. Clarity is my favorite word. Gain clarity on what you truly desire in your career and understand why. So allowing yourself the space and the grace to explore, to think about and then define your professional goals is essential, because without this clarity, you risk wasting your precious time and potentially hindering your progress. It's important to remember that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean it aligns with your career path or what is going to bring you joy or personal fulfillment. So when you gain clarity on what you truly desire, so the what and the why that ensures that your efforts and talents are directed appropriately.
Speaker 1:Number three adopt a growth mindset. So viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth is critical. This involves looking for constructive feedback. It means that you are embracing the idea that skills and intelligence can be developed. It's not just what you have, it's what you can acquire, and you are maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement. You are always able to learn something from any situation. This sort of mindset builds resilience and it gets you moving in a proactive way in approaching your challenges, in your leadership, in your life, and it'll serve you well into the future too, because you know there's going to be more challenges, right? I hope so.
Speaker 1:Number four is let people help you. You know, a lot of times we think that, professionally, people can't know when there's something wrong, when we don't have it figured out, and that is just not true. People can shortcut your progress. Help you get through things faster. So seek out mentors in your industry. Finding leadership coaches, subject matter experts, participating in professional networks these are all things that can provide fantastic support for you, and these resources offer different perspectives and different strategies, and that gives you a more well-rounded approach to overcoming career challenges for yourself and the teams you either lead or will lead.
Speaker 1:So now what? Well, great question. Begin with an assessment of the current state of your career. Is it your overall career that feels stagnated, or is it particular areas of your career? So maybe you list out the high level categories of your career, the different segments of your career, and just rate yourself one to five One is you're stuck, five is you're flowing, and that'll give you a visual aid to know where to focus your time and attention.
Speaker 1:So commit to taking one immediate action as a result of listening to this. That means within 48 hours, okay, and that action is going to move you towards change, whether that is documenting your wins or setting new professional goals, or reaching out to a mentor or potential mentor, because the process of moving beyond a career plateau has already started for you. If you're listening to this podcast, if you're questioning it, then you're looking for answers. That means you're already on your way and the answers will show up if you use these strategies on rinse and repeat it's not a one and done so until the next time. Here is wishing you all the clarity you deserve to make the impact that you desire. Take care and bye-bye for now.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast with Debbie Peterson. If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit DebbiePetersonSpeakscom.
