Reference Profile Series: The Artisan Manager
Disciplined, steady, productive, and dedicated – these four words perfectly capture the essence of the Artisan Reference Profile (formerly known as Craftsman). In this continuation of our PI Reference Profile series, we explore what makes Artisans tick and how to effectively work with or manage these technical specialists who represent approximately 6.5% of the human population.
Click here for a short video about the Artisan
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The Bosshole® Chronicles
"Reference Profile Series: The Artisan Manager"
Original Publish Date: 3/25/2025
Hosts: John Broer & Sara Best
John Broer: A very warm welcome to all of our friends out there in The Bosshole Transformation Nation. This is your co-host, John Broer, and welcome to our next installment of The Bosshole Chronicles, and in this episode we're going to continue with our series of PI Reference Profile Managers. This week we are going to learn about the Artisan Reference Profile and we do talk about the artisan as a manager, but also for managers that may have artisans on their teams. What is their behavioral DNA, what makes them tick, what are their work styles, what are their potential traps, everything associated with the artisan reference profile and one of the things we do point out for our longstanding PI fans.
You may not recognize Artisan as one of the Reference Profiles. That's actually the new version or the term for the previous Craftsman reference profile. Artisan was just a more effective and more inclusive term that we use. And, of course, joining me this week, none other than the amazing Sara Best, and we're really going to dig into some great stuff. So far, I think we've done eight or nine of the reference profiles, which means we're a little bit more than halfway through all 17. Let's jump in. The Bosshole Chronicles are brought to you by Real Good Ventures, a talent optimization firm, helping organizations diagnose their most critical people and execution issues with world-class analytics. Make sure to check out all the resources in the show notes and be sure to follow us and share your feedback. Enjoy today's episode and share your feedback. Enjoy today's episode. Hey, Sara, what's going on how you doing today?
Sara Best: Hi, John, doing great today. It's great to be back together in the studio of the Bosshole Chronicles.
JB: Oh it is, and good to be continuing our series on the reference profiles. We're going to be talking about the Artisan reference profile today Very excited about that, and we're going to follow the same format as we had before. We're going to tell you a little bit about the Artisan reference profile today, very excited about that, and we're going to follow the same format as we had before. We're going to tell you a little bit about the artisan and their drives, needs, behaviors, talk about signature work style, what you really need to know about yourself in terms of self-awareness, but even on the other side of that, if you have an artisan on your team, how to manage and coach and guide an artisan. So, Sara, would you share with us a little bit more about what the artisan is? Tell us a little bit more.
SB: Absolutely, John. The artisans are disciplined, attentive performers of their jobs. They identify problems and enjoy solving them, and particularly when the problems fall clearly within their area of expertise, artisan like a craft that's been developed. They enjoy working at a steady pace and leveraging that expertise for the greater good. There are four words that come to mind, john disciplined, steady, productive and dedicated.
JB: Nice, okay, and it's probably valuable to let people know that have who tookI took the behavioral assessment a few years back, that the artisan is the new name for what was formerly known as the craftsman reference profile. That's right. PI changed it. So if people are going, I don't recognize that one. You may be. If you're a craftsman, your reference profile is an artisan, because we just felt that that was more inclusive and a broader and better way of describing it. All right, well, thank you for that. So let me let me share Remember we always talk about drives, needs and behaviors and, by the way, if you're not sure of your reference profile, go into the show notes. You will see our link to complete the PI behavioral assessment and we'll send you your description of your reference profile and you can get caught up in this series.
But a common or average pattern for an artisan, on the high side of the pattern, if you will, or the higher factors, tend to be the patience and the formality.
The patience drive is the drive for consistency and stability. That's on the high side, and also on the high side is the formality drive, which is the drive to conform to rules and structure, and then on the low side we have the dominance drive, which is that this person has a lower drive to have influence on people and events. And the extroversion drive is on the low side, which means this person has a lower drive for social interaction with other people. And it's important to remind everybody if you have low extroversion, it doesn't mean you don't like people. It means you tend to like to think things through, you tend to be a bit more introspective. So those are where those drives land, okay, those natural drives. So what are these needs? They have these needs, these felt needs, and those needs include understanding, room for introspection. In other words, please don't force me to give you an answer right now. I'd really like to think about it. They need stable work environment and specific knowledge of the job.
SB: So, again, just giving them a blank slate isn't always really important to notice about the artisan with the lower dominance and the higher degrees of patience, things like encouragement, reassurance, harmony and understanding, and this team atmosphere, team recognition, become really essential. Absolutely, I think along with that a stable work environment, they're likely to have a long-term affiliation. They like to plug in and stick around, especially if those things are present.
JB: Yes, and we'll talk a little bit about this as we get into the signature work styles and even potential traps but that loyalty, or that stable work environment, even though things may be a little bit chaotic or unpleasing to perhaps people with other reference profiles, pleasing to perhaps people with other reference profiles, sometimes these stabilizing reference profiles, these folks will stick it out anyway. Yeah, I know this world, I'm familiar with this world, and we never talk about whether this is right, wrong, good or bad. We just look at it. Is this a place where you are finding meaning and fulfillment? So, remember, we talk about drives, needs, behaviors. So the behaviors that you may see from an artisan include things like being accommodating, analytical, deliberate and precise. That accommodating is really being driven a lot by that lower dominance, seeking out harmony, being somewhat collaborative. So, yeah, that's kind of the hardwiring on average of an artisan.
Okay, so let's talk a little bit about the signature work styles of an artisan. And if you're an artisan manager, again, this is really designed to help you show up authentically. And when it comes to communication in a signature work style for artisans, they tend to be a bit reserved and quiet and they listen thoroughly. They have that wonderful active listening gene that I don't possess that is powerful in communication. They will delegate, but with careful follow-up. Okay so, as it relates to being a manager and delegating, they'll delegate things, but with careful follow-up to being a manager and delegating, they'll delegate things, but with careful follow-up and, I would say, with a degree of reservation, just to make sure things are going to be done accurately.
As it relates to decision-making, they seek direction and they can demonstrate ingenuity when solving problems and I think that really cautious with that, they're careful and responsive, whereas other reference profiles tend to be more proactive and don't need much encouragement to move on something and will take risks. Artisans will tap the brakes and say whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm going to be careful about this and I want to think about this before I react or respond. So, with that, let's talk about the strengths and the common traps. What do those entail, Sara?
SB: Well, let's see the strengths. The artisan can anticipate problems and be thinking about hey, this sounds really good right now, but when we reach this point we're going to hit a challenge. So they have thoughtful consideration of what might be ahead, thoughtful approach to communicating information. They're nice. They're thinking about sharing what they know in a collaborative way. They like to build structure and have breeds confidence for the artisan. And the more confidence they have, I think the more effective and productive they have, aka, the more they know about how it works, the more they can succeed.
We would say some common traps, john. They may be a little sensitive to criticism. Any of our patterns that have higher formality have that sort of trap of potentially being overly sensitive to criticism. They put a lot into their work. They have very high standards for themselves and for other people, mostly for themselves. So anything that feels like criticism, even constructive feedback, can make them a little ouchy. They may have a difficulty under time pressure. So when the heat gets turned up or multiple priorities pop up or changing priorities happen, the artisans may tend to shut down.
So they like to work at a steady pace, so this quick deadline business can be very upsetting. And then, lastly, they can also be uncomfortable in ambiguous situations to the point where they shut down. So if there isn't clarity, if there's, you know, hey, we're going to just get started and we'll tweak it as we go. We'd find that the artisan would struggle and maybe even get resentful and ouchy over you know having too much ambiguity.
JB: Yeah, and we've talked about this with some of the other process and precision reference profiles specialist, operator, guardian and so forth and with the results in discipline reference profiles, that high formality there is a I think there's a misconception from managers that don't understand this data. If you have, for example, somebody on your team we're going to talk about that in a second that does have high formality, that you think, oh, I don't want to micromanage this person, I want them to feel free to go. That's something you and I would say as a persuader and a captain, I don't want to hem you in with a lot of rules and structure. Whatever you come up with is good. That is the part that I think can get really frustrating for an artisan or somebody with high formality. It's like, no, please give me some semblance of a roadmap and let me know what good would look like and then I can fill in the details. But just a blank slate will not help and they'll become very frustrated. That's a great point.
SB: Well, can I also offer here, John? So the plan is essential. The roadmap is the guide. They also need regular touch bases and encouragement throughout their journey on the roadmap. How am I doing? How is what I'm producing measuring up with your expectations? That kind of feedback becomes super empowering and helpful, especially if it's framed in a positive way, as we discussed. Artisans can be sensitive to criticism, so making sure you start with a positive approach and highlight where things are working really well makes sense.
JB: Yeah, yeah. So if you have one of them on your team, how to work well with them? Getting right back to what you're talking about in terms of feedback with feedback, make it positive and constructive, recognize them they enjoy being recognized for their technical work and expertise and provide the artisan with details. They like to think about the technical aspects of the work. If it's too conceptual, too squishy, generally may have a tendency to glaze over. It's like you're not talking about anything particularly real. Yes, so now this allows us to transition to okay, so we're talking about again if you're an artisan manager. Here are some really critical things. This self-awareness is so necessary for you to show up as an effective manager, supervisor and developer of people as an artisan. But what if you have an artisan as a direct report, sarah, what are some of the things that we would ask our managers to do? If you have an artisan on your team? What are some great ways to work with them and help them develop?
SB: Well, first and foremost, John, since there's a technical orientation, providing detailed, thorough training for the essential functions of their job is critical, and it's specialized work. They would see the work as specialized, so they tend to thrive in an orderly, stable environment. So creating that sense of order, creating that stability, that regular cadence of communication with the artisan is important. They need opportunity to work within their area of expertise and they need to be able to ensure high quality results, which means manage the pace, offer the encouragement, offer opportunities to grow and gain expertise consistent with a pace that is helpful to them. Does that make sense, John?
JB: It does, and it also makes me think about the work that you're giving them. Give them, build some consistency into that, because what can frustrate them are changing priorities, and that's a huge issue right now. I mean, we're going to be talking about. Well, we have always talked about disengagement or active disengagement in the workplace, which is really not getting any better. It gets better when you have this information. You understand the people, but if you have an artisan and you're constantly pointing them in different directions, that will serve no purpose other than to frustrate them. No, it's so true, no-transcript.
SB: If I can gain understanding about what these circumstances are, or what's going to be changing or what's going to be expected of me, I can move down a path of transition, but it takes time and effort and regular communication, which I think, John, we encounter this most often in the organizations we work with.
Everyone's so busy and the manager will say I don't have time for that, or I just you know they have meetings scheduled. They cancel the meetings because a client issue came up. So if you're a manager of an artisan, you're going to maximize their potential by being present on a regular basis, not for hours on end. You know regular check-in meetings, clarity, giving details and information as you have it, which, for you, know the opposite reference profiles, like the Maverick, Persuader, Captain. It doesn't delight the manager to have to do that, but it is essential to help this person really get into their flow in work.
JB: Oh for sure. We also don't want people to misunderstand that, oh, Artisans and those process and precision reference profiles, they're so rigid they can't be coached. That's not true. Just the coaching is a little bit different, and that reminds me. You talk about the importance of spending time with them. Well, if you're a manager and you are not inclined, or naturally inclined, to want to spend time with people, or naturally spend time with people, you have to build that discipline To assert themselves within their realm of expertise, while remaining mindful of how their words are received, meaning they are kind you said, they're kind, mm-hmm and at the same time they can be highly factual.
SB: So the coaching is not warm and fuzzy.
JB: Not warm and fuzzy, not necessarily. Okay, but very, very factual. And I think a lot of that has to do with their e-score too, their decision making, which you can learn through the assessment. But you can coach them within their realm of expertise. You're not going to turn them into a maverick or a persuader, or a venture or a captain. Help them understand how they can broaden those capabilities. But one thing that's important when you become more conversant in PI analytics and within Predictive Index, you will see patterns, you will get your pattern.
A reference profile has a pattern and the wider that pattern is, that you would see on your report the more energy it takes to adapt. So managers that have that information understand that there is more that I'm asking this person to adapt. But it's going to take more energy and perhaps more time for myself. That's why, if you have too many people to manage, that you can really, you know, back yourself up into the Bosshole Zone, because this does take time.
Developing people is an investment in them. You have to be willing to invest that time and especially for those reference profiles that fall into that category, like the artisan, really quick as it relates to delegating. Here's some do's and don'ts. One of the don'ts is don't delegate work that requires a lot of independence and assertiveness or is highly urgent. It's not that they can't do it or adapt to it, but if you are constantly this is the changing priorities if you are constantly throwing urgent, you know things at them that require them to be more proactive. That's going to be frustrating. But do delegate work that is highly structured, consistent or repetitive and again this when you know your people, you can.
You can help them find meaning and fulfillment in their work, based on the work that you are giving them and you're encouraging them to follow.
SB: I would offer that. I need an artisan in my life. I need someone to do that steady, consistent, repetitive, organized work, because that's certainly not my strength, but they're powerful to have on the team and the other thing I think about is give them time to think through things, or the thing that you want to know more about from them. I hope this is helpful, John. I hope this helps our managers of artisans and our artisans who are managers.
JB: Absolutely, and just as an aside that we've been adding with all of these reference profiles. As an aside that we've been adding with all of these reference profiles, the artisan represents approximately 6.5 or a little over 6.5% of the human population, which I think is kind of fascinating. We nerd out on this stuff, but they're kind of right in the middle of the 17 reference profiles in terms of representation in the human populace. So well, thank you for this, sarah. Great episode Reminder to all of our listeners please go into the show notes, look for the link to complete the behavioral assessment if you've never done it, and encourage your people to do it too if you want to understand a better way to build your own self-awareness and awareness of them.
SB: Yeah, and don't forget John, we may want to put a link in the show notes. We have videos for each of the reference profiles on our website, so let's just put a link into the show notes so people could click on the different reference profiles, including Artisan, and in two or three minutes, learn a little bit more.
JB: Yep.
SB: Well, friends, I think that's it for today. We'll see you soon, be well.
JB: Thanks very much for checking out this episode of the Bosshole Chronicles. It was so good to have you here, and if you have your own Bosshole story that you want to share with the Bosshole Transformation Nation, just reach out. You can email us at mystory@thebossholechronicles.com. Again, mystory@thebossholechronicles.com, we'll see you next time.
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