Brianna Jackson
Brianna Jackson, CEO of Sonas LLC, is a leadership and management professional with 20 years’ experience in the federal government. As the mother of four boys, a military spouse, and an active-duty officer in the Navy, flexibility and resiliency are her keys to survival and have driven her success in the workplace and at home. She enjoys opportunities to refine and optimize processes and programs and her unique home and work experiences have given her a broad range of knowledge towards finding ways to make things more efficient and effective!
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up as the only child of a single mom. My mom was a teacher and often had long commutes to work from where we lived which led me to become very self sufficient. We also tended to move every few years so I constantly had to adapt to new environments which made me very resilient. All of that contributed to my success in having a military career where those attributes are critical to success.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
As I came up through the military ranks and promotions, I noticed we still were not fully meeting the objectives that were stated as valuable when it came to inclusion and diversity so the genesis of my company was to help provide tools and coaching to guide units and organizations to achieve even higher levels of productivity and profit through really capturing the diversity from their workforce.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
As I watch each generation getting more open to differences I still see a need to bridge the gap between older and younger generations when it comes to inclusion. My goal is to provide the tools needed to provide that bridge.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I have been honored to have appeared as a guest on several podcasts and contributed to several best selling books (whose profits went to an organization called Homes for Heroes). These and other engagements can be found on my digital media kit located at sonasclan.com
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I would like to see a world where we can agree to disagree and be open to the opinions and thoughts of others without immediate rejection or criticism. That is the change I seek to be a part of!
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
Women need to remember to bring more women with them versus the tendency to compete. We sometimes forget to forge our mutual bonds out of fear that we might miss an opportunity but we are so much stronger when we band together.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
You are amazing, and your skills and opinions and perceptions add value to whatever field you are in. Don’t let anyone make you forget that!!