Brauneck speaks both from her experience as a career consultant and from over 20 years as a female senior executive in the corporate workplace. Be a situational leader. Being in a new role is very situational and your success depends largely on your ability to handle, adjust and accommodate. Don't try to be something you're not. Brauneck agrees that it is good to have your antennae up and be attentive to signals.
Women tend to prefer to work one on one with new direct reports, and in smaller groups.
This is not always the wisest choice, says Brauneck. We can learn a great deal from the way men behave in a group setting. Men are more comfortable in large groups, using them as stages. They try to win respect by being center stage. Women need to step out of their comfort zone, but they can't count on that alone.