Sandi Finn of Cross Country Home Services is CEO of one of the largest women-led companies in Florida. She emphasizes strong communication among her employees.

Each week, President Sandi Finn convenes the top managers at her home services company for a lunch meeting. The agenda: small talk. The rules: No business discussions allowed.

Finn steers the personal banter to a great new movie or asks about the outcome of a Little League playoff game. “I think it’s important the executive team work well together, and to do that they need to trust each other,” she said. “That means knowing each other.”

Step inside Florida’s high-revenue, women-led businesses, and you will find optimism. You also will find companies that operate much differently from traditional male-led business. Female leaders, like Finn, have keyed in on the crucial value of communication. They know how to probe customers to unlock sales opportunities, how to communicate with employees to build buy-in, and how to promote the right amount of risk-taking.

They have weathered the recession and plan to grow by adding new customers, staff and products. Their sales forecasts are 10 percent or more, compared with single-digit projections by male-led businesses, according to a new survey by The Commonwealth Institute’s South Florida chapter and the University of Miami School of Business Administration.

“Looking back, there was not much difference in their level of optimism. Looking forward there’s a big difference,” said Arun Sharma, professor of marketing at the UM School of Business and executive director of the Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute.

Successful strategies

At Finn’s Cross Country Home Services in Sunrise, Fla., sales are on target to rise again by double digits this year, and the company has plans to add jobs. Finn has been at the helm of the national provider of home warranty, service contracts and assistance programs for 12 years. Her staff of 600 absolutely loves her message: Talk to the customers and give them the products they want.

Throughout the corporate office in Sunrise, small groups gather in impromptu meetings to brainstorm. Finn has tasked her senior managers with coming up with a plan for where the company should be in three years. “We have a tremendous number of projects going on,” Finn said. “My role is about coordination and communication, empowering the right people to do the right things.”

Inside a much different business, Anne Deli, president of American Road Group in Orlando, Fla., fought through a down economy but sees a successful year ahead for her company, too. Her 300 employees work at one of her five Harley-Davidson dealerships or 17 retail merchandise stores and take cues from the top.

Deli, a passionately curious leader, has zeroed in on how to sell Harley-Davidson motorcycles and merchandise to customers who are mostly male, but increasingly female. Her message to staff: Understand the emotions behind buying a motorcycle, know the product and give great customer service all the way through delivery. She has brought in diverse salespeople and put them in intense training programs.

“I’m an excellent communicator,” Deli said. “My people understand what’s expected. There’s no gray area. They tell me what’s not working and what is, and I keep everyone focused on key goals.”

Keeping customers and employees close

As female leaders gear up for growth, a big advantage is their knack for keeping their clients or customers happy, Sharma said. “They tend to have close relationships with customers,” he said. But even more, the survey reveals they are having the critical conversations with employees, ensuring they understand their role in the company’s success and intervening early when work-life balance issues arise.

Inside West Palm Beach-based Matrix Home Care, with nine locations around Florida, the challenges are enormous. Most purchasers of home health services are women, and first impressions are everything. Most of the 612 staffers are women, too.

CEO Pernille Ostberg leads with calculated risk-taking and a tenacious emphasis on professionalism. Caregivers can’t wear sloppy clothes or show up late. She doesn’t believe in voice mail. “I have to continuously be professional in the way I speak, my management team speaks, and the way we listen.”

Because employees interact directly with customers in their homes, Ostberg says she must figure out early if an employee is suited for the job and encourage them to communicate problems that arise. She has created a corporate culture in which customer service differentiates her company from competitors and employees must be able to take some risks to make customers happy. As the leader, she said, “That takes ongoing education. I’m looking constantly at what skills I need to develop in my staff.”