The Smallest Moments Can Leave the Biggest Legacy

Hey, hello, and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast, your next clear move. Because you don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to know what your next clear move is.

And today's conversation is about legacy and not the kind that you plan for. So I'm going to talk about small moments that shape people's lives, yours, others, and why following through matters more than the gesture you make all by itself. And there's a ripple effect in believing in someone that can travel so much further than you'll ever know. So stay tuned.

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. All right, the smallest moments can leave the biggest legacy.

So what if building trust started with simply noticing someone? So I was at church this past weekend, and the message featured Cars 3. Yes, Lightning McQueen. And when I left, my thoughts were percolating.

So in the movie, Lightning is struggling with the possibility that his racing career is coming to an end. But then he discovers that his mentor, Doc Hudson, found tremendous joy and purpose in coaching him when he first started racing. And eventually, Lightning realizes that he has an opportunity to do the same thing for Cruz, a young trainer who has dreams of becoming a racer. So rather than keeping the spotlight on himself, he helps her to step into it.

So the message is about legacy. Who are you bringing with you? Who are you helping along the way? And it got me thinking, we may never know the impact that we have on another person's life.

Sometimes that impact is enormous. Sometimes it begins with something so small we barely give it a second thought. So years ago, when I was brand new to the professional speaking business, I attended our trade association conference, the National Speakers Association. And one evening after everything had wrapped up, I'm in the hallway when a very seasoned, successful speaker approached me.

She'd been standing with a group of people, but she stepped aside and she came to me and she said, I'd like to spend some time getting to know you. That was it. She wasn't offering me a speaking engagement, she wasn't promising to mentor me. She simply expressed an interest in having a conversation.

And it felt really good. Here I am stepping into this industry. I never imagined I'd be part of. I am still building my confidence, I'm still finding my footing, and someone that I respected had singled me out because she wanted to know more about me.

But here's the important part. She followed through. We actually had that conversation. You know, if she hadn't, I probably would have remembered the compliment, but it wouldn't have carried the same weight.

Her follow-through told me that her interest was genuine. And years later, I still remember that moment. I wonder if she does. So being noticed isn't the same as being needed.

So think about your own experience. Have you ever worked for someone who only seemed to notice you when something needed to be done? There was something that needed to be fixed right away, or uh something else going on. So maybe they recognize you because you step in without asking, or you work late, or you take on uh different responsibilities.

You know, you're needed. And at first, being needed can feel really good. You know, you're dependable, people count on you. But over time, something can happen.

If that boss continues to notice you only when they need something from you, it can really, well, one, not make you feel very good, but two, you may start associating your value with your performance, you know, and and then you get into that trap of thinking, okay, I need to keep producing, I need to keep solving, I keep need to, you know, step up higher and higher again, that that's the only way I'm going to earn recognition. And that's a very different experience from feeling genuinely valued as a person.

So there's nothing wrong with appreciating someone's contributions. We absolutely should do that. But there's a difference between being valued for what you contribute and feeling valued only when you're contributing. Let that sink in a moment.

That's an important distinction for anyone who leads people. When every interaction is about a deadline, a problem, or something else going on, we miss opportunities to build human connections that help to build trust. And trust matters long before, you know, we need someone to step in when there's change or speak up or uh take on a project, take a risk, or step into something unfamiliar. You know, you also don't have to be a natural at this.

So here's what I mean. I once worked for a chief financial officer. He was a very analytical kind of guy. I mean, he was really good to me.

I knew he cared about me, my career, my family. Um, but remembering personal details about people in the department, it wasn't exactly his natural strength. So I discovered um and developed a routine. I'd walk behind him through the department and I'd quietly whisper those, you know, whose cubicle we were coming uh upon, and maybe something he could ask them about.

A little um personal connection coaching on the fly, right? And I still giggle when I think about it. But there's a point to that story. Not everyone is naturally hardwired to remember little things or strike up personal conversations, but that doesn't mean that they don't care.

What it means is they may me need to be more intentional about how they go about it. And people can sense the difference between genuine interest and someone simply going through the motions. I mean, I remember stepping off the elevator onto the executive floor, and all the doors are closed, everything was unusually quiet, and nobody had to tell me that something was wrong. You could feel it, and we pick up on things like that.

We may not always be able to put to words what we're sensing, but we notice, and the same is true when someone genuinely cares about us. And genuine care isn't demonstrated by asking one personal question, it's demonstrated through what happens after, and you may never know how far a small moment can travel. So I have been fortunate to have people recognize potential in me that I hadn't fully recognized in myself. So early in my corporate career, I was an administrative assistant and I reported to a VP.

And when a supervisory position opened, he encouraged me to apply. I had not considered myself for the role, but he believed me I that I had what it took. And so I applied and I got the position. Years later, the founder of a woman's leadership organization encouraged me to apply and serve on its board, although I had never served on a board before.

But she believed I had something that the organization needed. And once after I delivered a keynote for an association, their education director reached out to me and said, Hey, we're revamping our leadership development program, and we would like you to be a part of it. Are you interested? Well, let me tell you, that particular invitation took me well outside my comfort zone.

But now we're in our sixth year, and that experience has deepened my consulting work, and it's giving me opportunities to develop leaders I might not ever have met. That's a ripple effect. Three people who saw something in me, three opportunities I might not have encouraged pursued without that encouragement. And here's the deal about those experiences.

None of those people sat down and said, Hey, I'd like to become your mentor, I'd like to schedule some time together every month. There wasn't a formal coaching relationship, there wasn't a development plan, there wasn't a long-term commitment of their time. Each person simply recognized something in me in that particular moment, chose to say something about it. One encouraged me to apply for a position, another expressed her belief that I had something valuable to contribute, another extended an invitation to explore an opportunity.

They're small gestures. They were appropriate to the moment, but they carried something powerful, an expression of belief in what might be possible for me. And because I acted on that encouragement, the impact didn't stop with me. It continued through the people that I've had the privilege of working with, encouraging, supporting through my keynotes and leadership development programming.

That is a very big impact that their simple comment started. So sometimes the greatest impact you have on someone isn't what you do for them, it's what you help them believe is possible for themselves. And you don't have to invest months or years in someone to make that kind of difference. So here's what I don't want you to miss.

Not every meaningful connection has to lead to a promotion aboard position or a career-changing opportunity. It might be remembering that someone's daughter was sick and asking how she's doing. It might be noticing that a colleague seems rather quiet, more quiet than usual. It might be thanking the person who does something every day that someone else takes for granted.

And sometimes it's simply taking a genuine interest in someone without needing anything from them in return. Those moments can count just as much. So trust is built in the follow-through. So if you're an executive, a manager, a supervisor, a team lead, I want you to think about something.

How often do you interact with people because you need something from them? And how often do you connect with them simply because they're good people? I know your calendar is full. I know the work doesn't slow down, it's never ending.

I'm not suggesting that you schedule 90-minute mentoring meetings with everyone that you encounter. I'm suggesting something much smaller. Notice someone, be curious about someone. Remember what matters to them.

And when you're going to do something, actually do it. When you say it, follow through. Because trust isn't built by one thoughtful question. It's strengthened over time.

When people experience a genuine interest from you over and over and they find that you mean what you say, it has an impact. But that takes practice. But it starts smaller than you may think. So here's your next clear move.

Over the next 48 hours, find one person to notice. It might be someone on your team, a neighbor, the person in the mail room, someone at church, the cashier at the grocery store, someone you pass in a parking lot. It doesn't matter who, it doesn't matter where. Take a moment to make a genuine connection.

Ask about something they mentioned. Recognize something that you appreciate or you might comment or compliment on. Express an interest in getting to know them. Then when there's an opportunity, follow through and do it again.

That is another item on your to-do list or a checklist, and not because you expect something in return, but because the more often you practice noticing people, the more naturally it becomes part of how you show up. So I think about that woman in the hallway who took a moment to pull me aside. She may have no idea that I still remember it. And I think about the people who have encouraged me to step into opportunities that changed the direction of my career and my business that have created and expanded ability to serve others.

I'm so grateful. They couldn't have known how far those ripples would travel. And neither can you. You may never know how much a small moment of genuine connection means to someone else, but that doesn't make it small.

It might just be the beginning of something much bigger. So until the next time, here's wishing you all the clarity that you deserve. Be good to yourself, take care, and bye-bye for now. 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 podcast. To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit Debbie PetersonSpeaks.com.