In this episode of Your Partner In Success Radio, Denise Griffitts welcomes Dr. R. Karl Hebenstreit, an organizational psychologist and leadership coach whose latest book, Explicit Expectations, offers a powerful guide to the management fundamentals every leader needs — but few are ever taught.

Karl explains why newly promoted supervisors and seasoned managers alike often struggle without clear guidance, and how making expectations explicit (not assumed or implied) creates alignment, clarity, and trust across teams. Together, Denise and Karl discuss how organizations can prevent disengagement, miscommunication, and turnover by realigning expectations as business environments evolve.

Listeners will come away with actionable tools to strengthen communication, enhance team performance, and lead with greater empathy and effectiveness.

Show Notes

Explicit Expectations: The Essential Guide to Management Fundamentals with Dr. R. Karl Hebenstreit

My guest today on Your Partner In Success Radio, Dr. R. Karl Hebenstreit has spent more than 25 years helping people become better leaders, communicators, and collaborators. Through his company, Perform & Function, he works with executives and teams across industries — from biotechnology and healthcare to real estate and high tech — showing them how to lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose.

Karl blends deep organizational psychology with practical management insight. He’s not afraid to tackle one of the most common and costly problems in the workplace: unclear expectations. His latest book, 'Explicit Expectations: The Essential Guide & Toolkit of Management Fundamentals', is a blueprint for leaders who want to create alignment and trust instead of confusion and burnout.

He’s also the author of The How & Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram and Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision — a children’s book that introduces values-based decision-making in a way kids (and adults) can relate to.

Karl earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology and holds multiple professional certifications, but what really sets him apart is his ability to turn theory into tools people can actually use. And yes — his ideas are so effective that he’s even trained an AI version of himself, “AI RKarl,” to help deliver his leadership programs around the world.

SPONSORED BY: Today’s episode of Your Partner In Success Radio is sponsored by the Your Partner In Success Radio Preferred Partner Program.

If you’re a business owner, author, or service provider looking to expand your visibility and credibility through podcast sponsorships and guest appearances, visit Your Partner In Success Radio.com or call me directly at 888-719-6711 to learn more about how you can become a Preferred Partner and connect with thousands of listeners across industries who value expertise, authenticity, and results.


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