R Karl Hebenstreit On 5 Things They Forgot To Mention In College
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Never stop marketing yourself. Create and nurture your brand — logos, business cards, electronic business cards, your website, etc. Put yourself out there — market yourself via podcasts, LinkedIn posts, conferences, etc. Write a book. Host a podcast. Create and share original content via social media. Share existing posts/articles with your own perspective. Keep it going. This never ends.
We are starting a new interview series about the world of entrepreneurship beyond the classroom — a realm where theory meets grit, and education meets real-world challenges. We want to hear about critical business wisdom that often goes unspoken in academic settings. I had the honor of interviewing R. Karl Hebenstreit, Ph.D., PCC.
Karl is a certified executive coach, leadership and organization development consultant, author, and international speaker. His 25+ year career spans the areas of HR and OD in the biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, professional services, high-tech, and real estate services industries, having worked at Merck, Bellcore, AT&T, Lee Hecht Harrison, Cushman & Wakefield, Kaiser Permanente, EMC², Bio-Rad Laboratories, and Genentech/Roche. He holds a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University/CSPP (where his dissertation focused on “Helping Organizations Attract, Retain, and Motivate employees with the Enneagram”), a MS in HR Management from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management and Labor Relations, an Evidence-Based Coaching Certificate from Fielding Graduate University (that led to his PCC), and is an IEA Accredited Professional with Distinction as well as an IEA Accredited Professional/Provider/Teacher. He is the author of The How & Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram (now in its third edition) and the children’s book Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision (now available in English, Spanish, and Greek!).
Thanks for being part of this series. Let’s jump in and focus on your early years. Can you share who was your biggest influence when you were young and provide specific examples of what you learned from them that helped shape who you’ve become and how you live your life today?
It’s my pleasure! Thank you for including me! My parents and grandparents are definitely the influencing forces who have contributed to who I’ve become and how I look at and live my life. My father serves as a role model for perseverance, standing up for what you believe is right, correcting injustices, and being social. My mother and grandmother serve as beacons for maintaining order, hospitality, and maintaining a moral compass/sticking to your values. My grandfather taught me to not judge a book by its cover and to look for the good in people. These have all combined to creating a worldview where, at my best, I tend to be more open- and positively-minded, outgoing, welcoming, a good listener, and (sometimes too) quick-to-help.
Staying on the topic of influence, who has been your biggest catalyst more recently and what can you share that you’ve learned from them that led you to making changes in your life?
A lesson I’ve needed to learn in my life is that everyone doesn’t need to like you and that you shouldn’t live your life feeling that you need to please everyone so that they do. My most recent boss, Rachael Allison, serves as a role model to me for that. She exhibits the strength and courage to take charge and get things done without dependence on what others think, while still being a caring and empathic leader and human being.
In this interview series, we aim to reveal what seasoned entrepreneurs wish they had known when they were starting out and capture what the textbooks and college professors left out.
Let’s do this!
Mistakes are invaluable. Can you name one specific mistake that you made early on, and learned the most from, but wish you’d been forewarned about?
The pivotal mistake from which I learned the most happened while I was working at AT&T in a role that was new to me; my 27-year old self somehow ended up in a marketing/business development role (for a Human Resources program) and was deemed the logical person to present our program at the annual Society for Human Resource Management conference in Minneapolis, MN. Off I went with my agenda of demonstrating and showcasing the virtues of our technology platform and hopefully attracting new organizations to join this “Talent Alliance” network. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this amazing network of forward-thinking, employee development-centric international organizations and pay millions of dollars annually to do so? My first session was a disaster — live technology didn’t cooperate (this was 1998), people were not interested in a sales pitch, and they left in droves. I was devastated. Fortunately, I had one more session scheduled to redeem myself with a new audience. I approached the session with a totally different mindset, this time focusing on THEIR needs and what THEY wanted to take away from the session. I also set expectations up front about what my session would be so that they knew if this was right for them. Only a couple people left at the beginning, since the topic would not have been of interest to them, and the rest stayed and engaged in a much more meaningful session. My lesson learned, about which I wish I had been forewarned, is that we don’t know what others really want/expect unless we ask them and that it’s imperative to set expectations up front so that everyone is aligned on what will happen. It’s akin to the Platinum Rule: treat others the way THEY want to be treated, and it’s a very inclusive and empathetic way of discovering, appreciating, and integrating the diversity that surrounds us and of which we may not be aware. This was my first real business lesson on the importance of empathizing with others and their potentially different needs.
Is there a leadership myth you believed early on that you’ve since debunked through your real-world experience?
The Golden Rule has definitely messed us all up! And it’s still being touted today in some very visible advertising campaigns by major companies as the philosophy of choice. Unfortunately, the only way that the Golden Rule (“treating others the way you want to be treated”) can work and apply to everyone is if we were all the same, with the same needs, orientations, preferences, abilities, ideologies, politics, religious beliefs, values, etc. And the divided state of the world today is proof that this is not true. The Golden Rule has been debunked and replaced with The Platinum Rule, where we should find out and treat others the way they want to be treated. It requires relationship-building, curiosity, understanding and acceptance of diverse perspectives and needs, and integration into our current myopic mindset, and has implications on meeting once-unknown employee, stakeholder, client, and customer needs (and maybe even partner, friend, and family needs as well!).
What’s the key operational insight you’ve gained since running your business that was never mentioned in any classroom?
Invoicing!!! Remembering to go back and invoice for services once delivered, and following up when they are not paid in a timely way. Ugh! And scheduling. I am loving Calendly, by the way.
Did college prepare you for scaling a business? What specifically was missing?
Knowing your worth and that it is variable, depending on who receives the service. Identifying and targeting working with fewer clients who pay your worth, rather than many who aren’t willing or able to. And the confidence to do so.
Any unexpected challenges in team dynamics that your academic experience didn’t prepare you for? How did you handle it?
I think all of us have nightmare stories about team projects where one (or more) team members did not contribute equally or equitably … or at all. These dynamics have also made their way into organizations. Reputations get around quickly, so it makes it easier to avoid working with some people, when you have the choice. When there is no choice, setting explicit expectations and role clarity are key to ensuring everyone knows what is expected of them to do on the team and contribute to the end product. Appealing to what motivates or excites them (or finding something that does) has also worked pretty well. Just speaking with them to understand what’s going on can yield some really valuable information and reasons behind the behavior. Try it out. What have you got to lose?
Have you had to unlearn any widely-accepted business ‘wisdom’ in your journey? What was it and how did it affect your strategy?
“The Customer is always right.” With all the “Karen” and “Chad” videos we’ve all seen (and sprinkle in our own IRL experiences), it’s pretty safe to say that this is not necessarily always true. Despite being a service provider, deciding to work with, or continue to work with a client is a two-way street. A customer can decide not to do business with me and I have the same choice. If a client or potential client isn’t ready to be open and do the work to develop and change, I shouldn’t persist or feel that I have failed. Not all prospects will convert to clients. In fact, the rate is shockingly low, averaging 2% across all industries! I have been far more successful earning clients as a result of my long-term network (either people with whom I’ve worked, and/or referrals from them). People want to work with other people they feel they can trust, or based on the opinion of and reference from someone whose opinion they trust. This epiphany has led me to favor working through my network rather than having to sell and prove myself to strangers and skeptics who may not be open to, ready for, or recognize the value of the services I provide.
What’s your advice for new entrepreneurs? What are your “5 Things You Won’t Learn in College But Must Know to Succeed in Business”?
May I share nine? IJBOL (Enneagram afficionados will immediately recognize how these came about …)
1. Identify your niche and value proposition, including your elevator pitch. Identify the intersection of what you’re really good at doing (your superpower that sets you apart from others), what inspires/drives/energizes you and puts a state of flow (in alignment with your values), and what is needed by the world (a gap that needs to be filled). This is also referred to as the “Zone of Genius” or your “Core Gift.” Once you identify your unique value proposition, the service you can and want to provide the world better than anyone else, you will never “work” another day in your life, since you will be doing what you love and what drives and energizes you.
2. Leverage your network — let EVERYONE know you have started your own business and what you do/what value proposition you offer. Let them know who your target audience is and ask if they can connect you to them. You’ll be surprised at how quickly word will spread from your greatest cheerleaders (former bosses, clients, and colleagues) who know of your great reputation and work ethic. They want to help you succeed!
3. Never stop marketing yourself. Create and nurture your brand — logos, business cards, electronic business cards, your website, etc. Put yourself out there — market yourself via podcasts, LinkedIn posts, conferences, etc. Write a book. Host a podcast. Create and share original content via social media. Share existing posts/articles with your own perspective. Keep it going. This never ends.
4. Don’t say no to meaningful work that may pay less than you hoped for IF it doesn’t get in the way of other higher-paying/more meaningful work. You never know what doors this will open and what future work this may lead to. And you’re not giving up anything else, right?
5. Be open to learning — engage in continuous learning opportunities in your field to stay relevant and on top of your game AND to expand your network.
6. Trust that the work will come — you will be pleasantly surprised at where the work will come from. Your network will refer work to you. People you used to work with will have moved into other roles at other companies and will remember you. Subcontract through larger, more established consultancies/businesses. Also, don’t get discouraged when warm leads don’t generate immediate work; keep in mind that only about 25% of leads turn into work. And, if not now, later when timing and readiness are more right.
7. Stay organized — create a meaningful client database structure, a system for tracking your income and expenses (for taxes), an invoicing system, a contract template, get a good accountant, liability insurance, etc. This will allow you to be open to and take on new opportunities! Remember to enjoy your passion — when you love and are energized by what you do, it’s not work! If you start to realize that your work isn’t engaging, motivating, and energizing you any more, change (the services, the targeted clients, the pricing, the environment, etc.) so that it drives you again!
8. Know your worth — create your own rates (ideally, project-based, not hourly) and be open to a tiered structure (individual vs. non-profit vs. corporate).
9. Take time off to be fresh and re-energized — take advantage of lulls in your business cycle and take time off then. In my field, business tends to slow down in December, right before the holidays and picks back up again in February. Don’t worry about the lull — use it to your advantage! There’s no point in marketing during these slow times — no one will see those efforts as they are preoccupied with other concerns and will be more responsive when they’re back in the office and budgets and goals are set.
How do you ensure your team not just understands but embodies your business principles? Any techniques you wish you’d known earlier?
Even though we all know there’s no such being as a mindreader, we tend to forget this. Being explicit in communicating and expressing our intent and our expectations is critical to ensuring clarity and preventing misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict. That principle, in addition to the insights of the Enneagram (helping us to discover our own core motivation and realizing that there are eight others that are equally valid and valuable) are what I wish I would have known earlier in my career (even life!); things would have been so much easier!
If we were sitting together two years from now, looking back at the past 24 months, what specifically has to happen for you personally and professionally, for you to be happy with your results?
My mother has a story from when I was growing up. When I was around 5 years old, she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Wise-beyond-my-years, I responded: “a clown.” Why? Because I wanted to make people happy. This was obviously a long time ago, way before “It” and Pennywise existed and coulrophobia was identified as an anxiety disorder. Making people happy evolved into a lifelong people-pleasing strategy for me, until I came to the realization that people are responsible for their own happiness. To that end, I want to have an impact on the world where people become happier with themselves (by understanding, accepting, celebrating, and forgiving themselves) and also realize the diversity and range of untapped perspective within them, that also exists in others and throughout the world. I believe by understanding, tapping into the diversity that innately exists within ourselves as well as everyone else, will we be able to achieve true happiness and peace. Getting the word out to the world about the Enneagram as a way to “get there,” and see the positive results of this, is what I need to make me feel like I have contributed to impacting this world positively (and definitely not alone).
Looking back over the last two years, what key accomplishments make you satisfied with your progress?
December 1, 2023 marks the two-year anniversary of my full-time solopreneurship with Perform & Function. In the past two years, I have published the third edition of my business book (“The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram”) and launched my children’s book (“Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision”) in English, Spanish, and Greek. I am very proud of this positive trajectory and have already begun to see the positive impact resulting from my executive coaching, organization development consulting, speaking engagements, and books.
As someone with significant influence, what’s the one change you’d like to inspire that would benefit the most people?
An invitation to be open (curious, accepting, integrating) to diverse perspectives and insights, realizing we don’t always have all the answers ourselves.
How can our readers keep up with your work?
Feel free to connect with me via LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rkarlhebenstreit or via my website: www.performandfunction.com
Thank you so much for joining us! We wish you only success.
You’re welcome; it’s been my pleasure. Success, good health, and happiness to you as well!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a successful entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience as a successful founder and CEO. He started his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc. a third-party collection agency, out of his apartment while going to The Ohio State University. He grew the business nationwide and represented more than 10,000 clients before selling the company on his 25th anniversary. His second venture, [re]start, is a career development platform that helps people find new jobs, launched in 2013 as a division inside his agency. [re]start was a catalyst to Chad’s team becoming an industry outlier after connecting thousands of people to meaningful employment opportunities. His company was nationally recognized for their social impact, twice being ranked the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. Chad sold [re]start in 2023 and is now a writer and thought leader for Authority Magazine’s Entrepreneur and Sports Editorials. He also offers an exclusive executive leadership program inside his online community at Authentic Authority.
