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
What May Be Keeping You from Stepping into Leadership?
Ever wonder why you haven't taken that next step in your leadership journey despite knowing you're smart, capable, and full of potential? The answer might surprise you. It's rarely about needing more credentials or another course. The real barriers are often invisible – inherited beliefs, unquestioned patterns, or that persistent inner voice whispering "not yet."
The Clarity Compass, a powerful filtering tool I share in this episode, offers a refreshing approach to leadership readiness. Instead of focusing on external achievements, it guides you to align with your authentic self through four cardinal directions: your why (what truly matters to you), your what (what's being asked and if it aligns with your desires), your who (the people influencing your journey), and your how (your sustainable path forward). At the center lies "now" – that immediate small action creating momentum toward your goals.
Most transformative is the Power of Three technique – taking just three small actions daily toward your leadership goals. These micro-movements might seem insignificant individually, but consistently applied, they create remarkable momentum without requiring a complete life overhaul. Remember, readiness rarely feels like confidence. If you're paying attention, caring, and curious, you're already closer to leadership readiness than you think. Ask yourself: what story are you believing that no longer serves you? Choose one place this week to make decisions as your authentic self, without the mask. Your next level of growth awaits – not through doing more, but through reconnecting with who you already are. Ready to help your team realize they're more prepared for leadership than they believe? Let's connect about my Readiness Reset programs designed to transform hesitation into aligned, authentic leadership.
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 that you come to get the tips, tools and techniques for your next clear move in your leadership, in your career, in your business, and today we are talking about what may be keeping you from your next level, from stepping into leadership, if you haven't already. So stay tuned.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast.
Speaker 3:The place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life.
Speaker 2:Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:So you're smart, you're capable, you are full of potential and you may be still hesitating, you know. Have you not taken the next move? What is your next level growth in your career? Is it stepping into leadership? And I'd be curious as to why that move hasn't happened yet. If it hasn't happened, you know it's easy to think that the answer is more strategy, a better plan. I'm not ready. I need one more course.
Speaker 1:But being ready isn't always about action. Sometimes it's about noticing what's in the way of action. That was the case with me, because I was in my own way. So often what is blocking us is invisible to us. We don't even know what it is. It's a pattern that we've never questioned, a belief we inherited and we don't even realize it. It's a voice in our head that sounds helpful but mostly says eh, not yet. And while the world will tell us to push through or rise above, what we really need permission is to pause and reconnect, because readiness isn't about doing more, you being ready for your next level of growth. It's about aligning with who you already are. That is your competitive advantage, and this podcast is for the leader who's checking all the boxes but still doesn't feel aligned. It is for someone who keeps getting tapped for more without time to ask what is it that they actually want. This is for the person who might already be ready but is buried under the busy burnout or belief systems that are overdue for an overhaul. And if that's you, here's a simple way to clear the noise so that you can start moving again. I created a tool it's called the Clarity Compass, and I want you to use it as a filter, not a formula, and I want you to imagine a compass in the palm of your hand and in the north position is why. What truly matters to you in this next season Okay, many people step into leadership because they were promoted there, it's offered, so they take it because they think that they should, and they never ask what kind of leader do I want to be?
Speaker 1:Why do I want to lead? Why is that important to me? So for some, leadership is just the next step on the ladder, but that's not always the best reason to say yes, your why matters? Because it fuels your efforts. It's what keeps you grounded when the things get messy, political or just flat out exhausting. When you know why leadership matters to you, you lead with more clarity and with more staying power, you can stay grounded in the hard times because your purpose is driving you, and it's not just your position In the East position on the compass is what? What is actually being asked of you right now, and does it match what it is that you want? So this is about making your next moves intentional.
Speaker 1:Too often we get swept up in the shoulds, but if your next move doesn't align with your why, it may not be worth your energy because it'd suck it right out of you. So get specific. What are you being asked? To lead, to influence or to shape? What do you want to say yes to? And what's just a distraction?
Speaker 1:Let this piece here be about alignment and not accumulation. In the south position is who? So who am I becoming and who am I being influenced by? Think about that. We don't lead in isolation. Who surrounds you matters a great deal. The right, who are the people who lift you up and they speak truth even when it's hard to hear. They help you level up in a way that's both bold but sustainable. They don't push you beyond your limits. They remind you of your potential and your capacity, and if you feel alone or unsupported, it is not a reflection of you or your readiness. It may be a reflection of your environment. Who has earned the right to influence your path? Think about that person or people and find them.
Speaker 1:How is in the West position on your compass? What is the plan for getting from where you are to where you want to go? This is where intention turns into action. Your how is the plan. It's the roadmap, it's the process, it's the structure, but it has to be the one that reflects who you are, not just what others expect. Your how is not about hustle. It's about honesty. What will move you forward in a way that's sustainable, manageable and grounded in your values? This is your opportunity to design a plan that stretches you without pulling you off course. So what does a sustainable, manageable, values aligned path forward look like for you? Your how should help you grow without losing your center. And remember, a path isn't always a five-year plan. Sometimes it's simply knowing what comes next and being willing to keep checking in along the way. And then, finally, we have now. This is in the center of your compass.
Speaker 1:What is one small move that you can make that reflects your real clarity? I mean, think about that. It's not someone else's version of readiness. This is yours. This is where your intention turns into momentum. Your now is the smallest meaningful step that brings your clarity into motion, and you do it within 48 hours.
Speaker 1:Now bonus content here I have a powerful tool that I share with my clients, and it's called the power of three. I want to share it with you today. It is so simple and here's what it is. Every day, you take three small actions that move you closer to your long-term goal. They can be micro-movements ordering a book, scheduling coffee with a mentor, researching a certification, bookmarking an article that you want to read, hopefully on my website. Tiny things, consistently done. These clear moves, three a day. It might not look like much, but they build momentum, real momentum. You'll look up in three months and realize you've created a runway towards exactly what you want, and you don't need to overhaul your own life. You just need to name what's in the way, and once you see it, you get your power back, and your next step almost always reveals its stuff. So what is your next clear move? I am so happy that you asked. I want you to ask yourself what story are you believing that no longer serves you and it's preventing you from stepping into your next level of growth.
Speaker 1:Then I want you to choose one place, just one, where you'll make decisions as you, as you authentically are, instead of with the mask on. You do that this week and you know. If you're still unsure, that's okay. Readiness rarely feels like confidence. It's not having it all figured out, but if you're paying attention, if you care and if you're curious, you are way closer than you think Now. If you have a team that is full of capable people but they don't feel ready and they absolutely are let's talk. The Readiness Reset Keynote and Readiness Labs that I've designed are going to help your leaders reconnect to their own clarity, alignment and capacity, because when leaders stop waiting and start aligning, everything changes. So until next time, stay ready, my friends, because you absolutely already are. Be good to yourself and bye-bye for now.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast with Debbie Peterson.
Speaker 3:If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Speaker 2:To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit debbetersonSpeakscom.
