CLA Magazine Volume 1 Issue 1

CLA
on his new book, his company,
Courageous Leadership
Alliance, and his induction into
the prestigious Forbes Business
Council
Karen Naumann
Oshawn Jefferson

C O U N T E R I N G T H E
F A L S E H O O D S O F
I N F O R M A T I O N D I S O R D E R
T O D D S I M M O N S
T O R E S E A R C H , G R O W O R
T H I N K : T H E P R O O F I S T H E
A . I . M .

TAKE RISKS.
INACTION IS AS
MUCH OF A RISK
AS ACTION.
A L E C A N T O I N E

C L A | P A G E 4

K a r e n N a u m a n n , A P R , i s a f e d e r a l
c o n t r a c t o r a t t h e D e f e n s e I n f o r m a t i o n
S c h o o l a t F o r t M e a d e i n M a r y l a n d a n d o n e
o f C o u r a g e o u s L e a d e r s h i p A l l i a n c e ' s s e n i o r
f a c i l i t a t o r s .

EVERYONE
WANTS TO LIVE
ON TOP OF
THE MOUNTAIN
BUT ALL THE
HAPPINESS AND
GROWTH OCCURS
WHILE YOU'RE
CLIMBING IT.
A N D Y R O O N E Y
C L A | P A G E 6

E X C L U S I V E
EMPATHY
Be the leader you’d want to
follow…
…a leader should have empathy.
Why?
Empathy is defined as the ability to
step into the shoes of another
person, aiming to understand their
feelings and perspectives, and to
use that understanding to guide
our actions, according to Greater
Good Magazine.
Leaders need to know if the people
they are trying to reach are
actually being reached and
empathy plays a major role in that.
Leaders must understand the
effect their decisions and choices
have on their members.
Forbes described it perfectly,
empathy is not only trying to
understand how it feels to be in
someone’s shoes, but the
important part is to make sure you
understand how they feel in their
shoes, not how you feel in their
shoes.
What works for you, may not work
for them. What is easy for you, may
not be easy for them. What you can
push through, they may not be able
to.
Empathy helps you understand not
only the why, but the “how-to”
proceed.
Be a good leader.

IT IS VERY
IMPORTANT YOU
STAY TRUE TO
YOURSELF.

C L A | P A G E 1 0

O s h a w n J e f f e r s o n i s a S t r a t e g i s t
a n d W e b E n t e r p r i s e B u s i n e s s
P r o g r a m M a n a g e r f o r t h e U S
A r m y C o r p s o f E n g i n e e r s . H e i s
a l s o C L A ' s D i v e r s i t y , E q u i t y , &
I n c l u s i o n e x p e r t a n d o n e o f i t s
s e n i o r f a c i l i t a t o r s .

C L A | P A G E 1 3
We came, we saw,
we conquered.
AFSA PEDS 21'!
Every time we get a chance to speak, answer
questions, facilitate discussions, lead workshops and
team building activities, we are extremely grateful.
We know and understand your organizations do not
have to choose us, but you do, and we are thankful.
This shout out is for the Air Force Sergeants
Association (AFSA) Professional Education &
Development Symposium (PEDS) coordinators and
everyone who participated. Those who came and
visited us and those who didn’t get the chance to.
We had an AMAZING time! We did what we came to
do, develop current and next generation leaders and
that would have been impossible without your
willingness and openness to receive what we shared.
We sold out of our books and gave away all of our
free prizes! We had some amazing leaders stop by
and answer questions on important topics and we
were able to help others through our miniworkshops!
Again, thank you AFSA and all of AFSA PEDS
participants, we appreciate each and every one of
you. You are what makes us great! Look for us at
the next AFSA PEDS Las Vegas in 2022, we will be
there and ready to empower, educate, and develop
leaders!

CLA is leading the pack with groundbreaking and innovative MasterClasses. We are amping up our MasterClass
frequency due to high demand. See what our next topics will be in the near future below! Stay tuned to our LinkedIn
page for MasterClass signups and registration information or contact masterclass@courageouslead.com.
UPCOMING MASTERCLASS TOPICS
01
M A S T E R Y O U R
E M O T I O N A L
I N T E L L I G E N C E
06
M A K I N G T H E P I V O T
T O S U C C E S S
02
L E A D I N G W I T H
E M P A T H Y
07
T H E A R T O F P U B L I C
S P E A K I N G
03
M A K I N G I N N O V A T I O N
A N E V E R Y D A Y H A B I T I N
Y O U R O R G A N I Z A T I O N
08
S I X S T R A T E G I E S F O R
M O V I N G T H E N E E D L E O N
G E N D E R E Q U I T Y
04
W H A T C A N A I D O F O R
M E ?
09
A G U I D E T O L E A D I N G I N
A R E M O T E
E N V I R O N M E N T
05
C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G
1 0 1
10
T H E R O A D M A P T O
B U I L D I N G D A T A T E A M S

Fill your life
with adventures,
not things.
F I N N I S H P R O V E R B

Come out, come
out, whenever
you're ready.
In life comes moments that require leaders to make
big, tough, difficult, and hard decisions. These are not
decisions like should I get the Macchiato or the
Cappuccino? These are the decisions that keep you
up at night, or interrupt your focus during the day.
According to Indeed.com, there are several ways to
make these decisions easier:
Try not to overthink (weigh the pros, cons, and all
options and that’s it)
Take care of yourself during the process
(remember to sleep, eat and drink water!)
Remove yourself from the situation (step back for a
short period of time)
Don’t run away from your mistakes (learn from the
mistakes you’ve made before)
Play devil’s advocate (examine the opposite of your
decision)
Ask for feedback (use your mentor and network for
their thoughts)
Give yourself advice (pretend you have a friend in
the same situation and give them advice)
Manage your emotions (make sure you’re using
emotional intelligence)
Weigh the short- and long-term consequences
(what may be a good decision for 2021, may not be a
good decision for 2025)
Accept the possibility of making a poor decision
(hey, it happens)
Stay true to your values (even if things do not work
out the way you want, you will still feel good about
your decision)
Use data (if making a business decision, sometimes
using history, trends and projections can help with
making the best choice)
At the end of the day, the hardest decisions are hard
for a reason, they have the greatest impact on
someone or something. Try these steps and maybe
they can assist with the process!
C L A | P A G E 1 7

A Memoir About Defying
the Odds
By: Todd Simmons
Official Release in August!
Available at Amazon,
Mascot Books, and
Barnes & Noble!

G O T O
C L A . O U R P R O S H O P . C O M

D E V E L O P A
M I N D S E T T O W I N
I N T H E P L A C E S
T H A T D O N ' T
W E L C O M E Y O U !
~ T O D D S I M M O N S

(202) 982-2600
info@courageouslead.com
Courageous
Leadership
Alliance
courageouslead.com