Take it from me: a struggling entrepreneur gets growth advice from someone who's been there - Smarts: Women - Stephanie Kruse, KPS/3 and Maureen
Author: Entrepreneur

STEPHANIE KRUSE, 46, wants to take her Reno, Nevada, company KPS/3, to the next level. But the 15-employee marketing communications firm is grappling with a market downturn and a changing industry.

Maureen Odioso Godshall, 47, has seen a decade of changes as president of Loren/Allan/Odioso Advertising, a Cincinnati advertising and public relations agency. With 35 employees and more than $30 million in revenues, Odioso Godshall has achieved the growth Kruse is seeking. We asked her for some gems of advice on the challenges Kruse--and any owner of a growing business--faces.

CHALLENGE ONE: MANAGING

Stephanie Kruse: Should I try to adapt my managerial style to "male or female" employee personality type? I tend to be compassionate and humanistic in my approach. Is that being "too much a woman"?

Maureen Odioso Godshall: Managing is a lot about communications, and men and women have distinct differences in how they process communications. In general, men thrive in a hierarchical environment where there is a clear pecking order.

Women, on the other hand, are most comfortable in a flat power zone where everyone is considered a peer. Women actually employ "social leveling" tactics when a woman in a group starts to ascend in power or forget her "place."