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.
Subscribe for weekly clarity drops that fuel your next level—with confidence.
Your Next Clear Move
Who’s in Your Corner? Building the Relationships That Help You Be Ready to Rise
What if the fastest path to your next leadership level isn’t a new certification, but a better corner? We unpack how to build an inner circle that challenges your thinking, expands your options, and lends you belief when your own confidence dips. From a pivotal career story about saying yes to a stretch role to a field guide of practical tools, you’ll hear how the right people transform momentum.
We walk through the Thrive With Five method to intentionally choose the voices that shape your days. You’ll learn how to spot true champions, why borrowed belief can unlock moves you’ve been avoiding, and how to set humane boundaries with energy drainers without burning bridges. We reframe networking as relationship building—seeking perspective, offering value first, and asking the simple question that opens doors: How can I help you? Along the way, we dig into reciprocity as a leadership habit, show how a simple energy audit can reset your week, and share ways to turn these habits inward to your team by celebrating wins, mentoring in the moment, and normalizing asking for help.
If you’re a new supervisor, first‑time manager, or a seasoned leader ready for a clearer next move, this conversation is your playbook. Expect concrete steps, from naming your five to expanding your ripple with intention. Ready to design a corner that lifts you higher and helps you go farther than you could alone? Follow the show, share this episode with someone who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to tell us what you’ll try first.
Hey, hello, and welcome back. This is Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast, your next clear move. And today we are talking about who is in your corner. Um, it's it's about building relationships that help you get ready for your next level. So stay tuned.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity Podcast.
SPEAKER_01:The place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life.
SPEAKER_02:Here's your host, Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity.
SPEAKER_00:So, in my opinion, this is something that everyone who is in leadership, especially when you're newer to leadership, maybe you're a supervisor, first-time manager, um, and thinking about who is in your corner. And here's what I mean by that. I remember in my corporate career, uh, one day, very vividly, sitting in my office, and my boss walked in and said that there was a position uh on the board, and he said, you should bid on that open position. And my first thought was, no way. You have got to be kidding me because there's no way that I can do that. Of course, I didn't say that out loud, but that's what was running through my head. And it was because I I didn't think that I was qualified at all. But clearly he saw something in me that I didn't. Because I trusted him, I went for it. And spoiler alert, it worked. Uh, it was a position that I was really able to lean into and use a lot of my natural gifts. And I never would have made that move if it hadn't been for his belief in me. And that was the first time that I realized that sometimes you have to borrow belief from someone else until you are able to find your own. And that's the whole idea of who's in your corner. That's what it's about. The people in your corner see your potential when you can't. They challenge you, they support you, they perhaps give you a nudge that you didn't know that you needed, or maybe even shove you off the cliff because they know you can fly. Leadership is not a solo sport. You can have a giant network, but it's the handful of people who truly believe in you that will help you rise to your next level. Now, here's why it matters. You've probably heard that we're the average of the top five people that we spend the most time with. It's not about the people, it's about the time. And I believe that because energy is contagious. You know, what other people put out, we pick up. And if we're spending a whole lot of time with uh, you know, drama kings and drama queens and the energy vampires of the world, guess what? That's gonna rub off on you and not in a good way. But if you surround yourself with people who lift you higher, they challenge your thinking, they tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear, that they believe in you, you pick that up as well, and you grow. And that's why I say strive to thrive with five. It's like a little mini challenge. And personally, what this means is having people around you who bring out your best. So this can be family, it can be friends, it can be people in your social network, it can be subject matter experts that you follow that give you guidance that just encourages you and helps you to lean in being a better version of yourself, according to what that is for you, what success means to you. Um, you know, they might be the people who tell you things that it might sting a little bit, but they love you enough to call you out on it. These are people that can be colleagues or business acquaintances, people in your network, people you know socially. Uh, it just look in various areas to find the people that you can thrive with because they can be the people who help you open doors and remind you of exactly what you're capable of. So let's talk about a few tools that can help you get to that next level when we're talking about how to utilize other people. So I want to bring you the concept, but I also want to give you actionable tools that you can pick it up and do something with it, because otherwise, why bother? So the first is borrow belief. When someone believes in you, I want you to pay attention, especially if they're someone that um you admire, that you trust, because it's a relationship just like anything else. There's got to be trust there. And if if they say they see you doing something or they see something in you that you don't see yet, I want you to trust that because their perspective might be just the key to open up your next level. Second, strive to thrive with five. So I want you to write down five people who have the biggest impact on your growth personally and professionally. And these are the people who are truly lifting you up. Um, if your list isn't full with five, and you've got some people who are holding you back, then those are some slots that you have an opportunity to fill. Now remember, it's not cutting people out of your life, but it is having the influence to say, this is how much time they get. So your Thrive to Five might be family, friends, colleagues, or even people that you admire from afar that model where you want to go, are achieving what you want to achieve, or maybe you're working on it and they're just a little further down the path than you are. Um, you might even find them on your social networks, LinkedIn, or something like that. Next, expand your ripple. And this is about networking. Networking is not about asking for jobs, it is about building relationships. And I remember specifically years ago, I started reaching out to the people in my network just to ask for advice. I was in that season of, oh my goodness, I don't know what I want to be or who I want to be when I grow up. Um, but I was looking for guidance. So I would buy them lunch, I would buy their them coffee. Um, I hate to use the term pick their brain, but I guess that's exactly what I was doing. I was looking for their wisdom and guidance. And it wasn't about asking for work, but they would shed light on what it is that they saw as potential for me. And at the end, it was always reciprocal. How can I help you? You know, people appreciate it when you see them and you can extend uh the same to them, even if they don't know what it looks like in the moment. That simple question opened more doors for me than I ever could have anticipated. So, another thing I'd like you to consider is the reciprocity rule. And here's what that is. The reciprocity rule is giving without expecting anything in return. When you do that, support has a funny way of circling back when you need it most. When you see a coworker who's overwhelmed and you've got the ability to pitch in, um, when there's an event and you can lend your expertise or uh, you know, just your time to it, uh, then you know, pitching in. Uh, you know, for me, it shows up with how I approach prospective clients. I I want to serve in as many ways as I can. So if I can do a webinar, if I can do um share some content, um, whatever I can do to make their life easier. When I show up at events, it's like, okay, I'm here. Use me. What is it that I can do to make your life easier? And that attitude of giving and support has really just produced so much in my life and my work that I am grateful for. And then finally, do an energy audit. I mean, seriously, this is what I mean. Take a look at the people who are around you. And I want you to put them in two categories: who fills your tank and who drains it. Sometimes the smartest leadership move that you can make is setting a boundary or creating just a little bit of reading breathing room when it comes to people who are draining your tank. So spend more time with people who energize you and protect your energy from the ones who don't, because you have influence in both directions. You know, add more of what lifts you up, create healthy distance from what wears you out. It is just that simple. And figure out how that is playing out in your leadership and in your life. So great leaders don't just build their own corner, they help others build theirs too. So encourage mentoring moments, um, seek out peer support, uh, share wins inside your team. Remind people that asking for help isn't weakness, it's wisdom. That's how you take what you want to do for yourself and you apply it to your team. You know, there's an African proverb that I really love. It says, if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go with others. And that is leadership readiness in action. You don't get there by doing it all yourself. That wears you out, it stresses you out. You get there by building the relationships that take you further than you could ever go alone. So here's a quick challenge for you. I want you to take five minutes today. That's it. Just five minutes and make your um strive to thrive with five list. Write down the five people or even the five types of people that you need in your corner right now. If you can't name them all yet, that's okay. Write down the qualities or experience that you're looking for, and then start reaching out. Now, what I want you to remember is you don't have to do this alone. You were never meant to. Being ready for your next level of leadership is a team sport and your corner matters. I am there for you in your corner. Please reach out, connect, um, let me know how I can serve you. Do this with other people, make time for the people who help you grow. That is how you build the kind of leadership that lasts. And hey, if this message hit home with you, that is terrific. Head on over to my website, www.debipetersonspeaks.com. You are going to find keynotes, tools, and other clarity-driven leadership programs that will help you cut through the noise, focus on what matters, and take your next clear move. In the meantime, be good to yourself. And here's wishing you all the clarity that you deserve. Bye-bye for now.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast with Debbie Peterson.
SPEAKER_01:If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcast.
SPEAKER_02:To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit Debbie PetersonSpeaks.com.
