Situational leadership 101: what a new boss needs to know.

You've just been promoted to your first administrative position. While it brings more money, prestige and power, it also means you're now responsible for the performance of others, not just yourself. After the glow has worn off and reality sets in, what strategies can a woman use to successfully lead a diverse group of employees?

Jan Javinar, director of the combined student activities and student union department and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, offered suggestions for leadership success at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) conference in Tampa in March.

His advice relied on the theoretical work of Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey, who described the benefits of using situational leadership. It's also based on Janvier's own 25 years of experience supervising 250 part-time student employees and managing four union contracts.

Having used the theory for many years, he said, "I haven't seen any gender differences in a practical way."

A leadership style?

Any time you're trying to influence the behavior of others, you're engaged in leadership, including:

--Developing staff