Take It From Me . . . A struggling BIZ Experiences gets growth advice from someone who's been there.

Stephanie Kruse, 46, wants to take her Reno, Nevada, company,KPS|3, to thenext level. But the 15-employee marketing communications firm isgrappling with a market downturn and a changing industry.

Maureen Odioso Godshall, 47, has seen a decade of changes aspresident of Loren/Allan/Odioso Advertising, a Cincinnatiadvertising and public relations agency. With 35 employees and morethan $30 million in revenues, Odioso Godshall has achieved thegrowth Kruse is seeking. We asked her for some gems of advice onthe challenges Kruse--and any owner of a growingbusiness--faces.

Challenge One: Managing

Stephanie Kruse: Should I try to adapt my managerialstyle to "male or female" employee personality type? Itend to be compassionate and humanistic in my approach. Is thatbeing "too much a woman"?

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

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

Once you understand these dynamics, you can make them work foryou. Personally, this translates into my being more blunt with maleemployees. I give them direct orders instead of couching them assuggestions, as I might for a female. I critique something a maleemployee has worked on without it becoming a personal criticism(unless I am talking to a creative director-male or female, theytake critiques personally!).

Challenge Two: Growing

Kruse: My business is growing, but how do I manage thatgrowth? I have a young and enthusiastic management team that wantsto go for it, but I've been through rampant growth, and itisn't always pretty. I've tried to predict the future ofour industry and have made some difficult changes toadapt-downsizing, saying no and prioritizing between things thateveryone seems to want. How do I keep my management team energized,focused and enchanted?

Odioso Godshall: Engage in a formal planning process withthem. This starts with visioning and goal-setting for the companyto get everyone on the same page. Identify overall priorities andthe five or six bold action steps required to achieve the vision.Once this is outlined, identify the supporting trends and values aswell as the challenges the company will face in the process.

Next, each department or team should conduct a SWOT analysis(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) to determinetheir abilities to support the corporate vision and what needs tobe done to enhance this ability. The management team should thenchart a master plan each department can implement. This processreally starts to gel the group, reduce "selfish"departmental biases and help you make decisions everyone can buyinto.

Challenge Three: Downsizing

Kruse: Due to changes in the industry, I have reducedstaff and management layers and expanded people's roles toinclude nontraditional functions. I try to cheerlead as Icommunicate this to my staff, but it doesn't always sinkin.

Odioso Godshall: It is never easy to cut back and keepthe remaining staff from feeling at risk. If you have to downsize,try to do it quickly in one slice, and make it clear that thecutbacks are complete. The remaining staff will be shaken for a fewdays as their work flow and communication networks heal, but thenthe void will "scab over."

The past two years have been tough ones. My approach has been tolead with growth as the goal, instead of focusing on thecontraction phase. If employees see that you have a vision, theyrespond with proactivity instead of negativity, and the goal startsto become reality.

Aliza Pilar Sherman is an Internet pioneer, netpreneur,speaker and author of the book PowerTools for Women in Business: 10 Ways toSucceed in Life and Work.