Reference Profile Series: The Guardian Manager
Uncover the secrets of the Guardian reference profile as Sara and John promise to expand how you understand this unique behavioral type. With Guardians comprising over 8% of the population, they bring a blend of unselfishness, approachability, and a remarkable attention to detail. The Guardian's "behavioral DNA" helps organizations from going off the rails!
Click here for a short video about the Guardian
Click here to get your very own Reference Profile
-
The Bosshole® Chronicles
"Reference Profile Series: The Guardian Manager"
Original Publish Date: 11/12/2024
Hosts: John Broer & Sara Best
John Broer: You know what today is right another installment of the Bosshole Chronicles. It is so good to have you here, everyone. This is your co-host, John Broer. Joining me today is the amazing, remarkable, incomparable Sara Best, and we're going to continue our series on PI reference profiles, and today we're going to be talking about the Guardian reference profile. Guardians represent about 8% a little over 8% of the human population, so let's dig in and learn about the Guardian manager. And even if you have Guardians on your team, 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. So we are back in the Bosshole Chronicles studio and I'm here with Sara. What's going on, Sara? How you doing today.
Sara Best: Hey, John, doing real good, as always. Great to see you, great to be with you, excited to do another reference profile episode Today, John, we are going to explore the Guardian reference profile.
JB: Nice, nice, okay, well, I'm going to let you kick it off. Tell us about the Guardian.
SB: Well, the Guardian is an unselfish and approachable individual with a preference for detailed, skill-based work. Okay, so unselfish, approachable, we would say that the Guardian is methodical and somewhat exacting in their work, with a keen eye for detail. I need a guardian in my life, John, and they have very high standards for accuracy and follow through and I think, in general, guardians just enjoy doing really good work for their company or their team. They're comfortable doing routine, consistent tasks. They're really reliable and dependable thorough, cautious, supportive, dutiful.
JB: So let's talk a little bit about and by the way, I mean we've been providing these percentages through this series in terms of what percentage of the human population do guardians represent? And remember, there are millions and millions of different types of guardians, but this is your behavioral DNA and we've been using the study that PI did. Guardian is formality and that is the D factor. The D drive, which is the drive to conform to rules and structure, which would make a lot of sense. The D drive, which is the drive to conform to rules and structure, which would make a lot of sense. The second highest is going to be their patience drive, their C drive, which is the drive for stability and consistency. We also talk about that. C drive is related to pace. So when somebody has a higher C drive, they like a more methodical, slower pace, which makes total sense for a guardian.
And then, on the other side of the midpoint, we have that lower factors, which are extroversion and dominance, and that lower extroversion. Of course, just remember it doesn't mean they don't like people. It just means they tend to be a bit more introspective and sometimes analytical in their thinking. In other words, it's like hold on, you know, I want to think this through before I talk it out. You and I high extroversion. We like to talk it out guardians.
SB: We don't have that.
JB: Yeah, no.
SB: We could use some of that.
JB: What do you mean? Think about it. Are you kidding? I just want to talk about it.
SB: I just want to think out loud, right, no planning needed.
JB: Let's just talk. And then that lower, which is their lowest factor, simply means that they also really favor collaboration and harmony and seeking that out. Now, those are the average drives and factors where they fall on the graph and, by the way, go into the show notes. We've been inviting you to follow the link to find out your own reference profile. But what does this translate for the guardian in terms of needs and behaviors?
Well, you heard a little bit about this from Sara in the overall description of a guardian, but they need reassurance, time to trust others. In other words, it's not automatic. Freedom from changing priorities and freedom from risk and error. And some of you may say how do you achieve that in a workplace? Well, risk and error is always a possibility, but a guardian wants to literally guard against that. They need that assurance, that listen, if I'm doing this, my risk is under control, and so you know, as a manager, as a guardian manager, that is something that they need. Now, what does that look like in terms of behavior? They tend to be very helpful, pensive, which I think is an interesting word, or that introspective characteristic, steady and diligent. So that's the guardian. And when you think about two, if you were to think about. We haven't done the maverick yet, but the maverick is the antithesis of the guardian. So the guardian and the maverick are at two different ends of the spectrum.
And that's not right, wrong, good or bad. It's just how people are wired and that's why we do this. So let's talk a little bit more about their signature work styles. So, Sara, tell us a little bit more about how they work in terms of communication, delegating, decision-making, action and risk.
SB: Well how they work in terms of communication, delegating decision-making action and risk. We can expect to see reserved and somewhat formal communication. So pretty on point, not a lot of fluff, pretty straight to the point, detailed communication style. So either written and verbal. You may find that there's quite a level of detail that's shared. Since there's such a specificity around accuracy and such a need for a good result.
These individuals sometimes have a hard time delegating the details. They hold on to the work and they may just say no one can do it as good as I can, so I'm just going to do it myself. And you know what, john? Some of the things we've been talking about, they're true for any of the reference profiles that have a very high formality. When the formality is high, there's a whole lot of good things that happen. That attention to detail, that precision, that just natural drive and diligence to get something done. They don't quit before they're done. But it also comes with a challenge, which is freedom, the need for freedom from risk of error. So the error part, the perfectionistic kind of mindset, and the stronger that drive, the more likely it is for a person to kind of be black and white in their thinking. And so this or that.
So when it comes to decision-making, we would imagine or see that guardians they want consensus. So when the dominance is low, collaborative decision-making style works best and it also mitigates the risk of making a bad decision, which no guardian would ever want to do. They like to follow the book. Right, no guardian would ever want to do. They like to follow the book. So if there isn't a playbook or rule book or the rules keep changing, I think you'd see a very frustrated guardian. They really like to know how it all. Like I'm going to guard, I'm going to guard against it makes a little bit of sense and very much an avoidance of risk. We would say that as well.
JB: And getting back to the decision-making part, you may be, our listeners may be paying attention and hopefully they're paying attention. Our listeners may be recognizing and saying wait, these two things sound like they are contradictions. So looking for consensus but wanting to follow the book, that need for accuracy and precision, those sound like they could be diametrically opposed, but they can coexist in an individual. So think about that internal tension. So when you talk about holding on to work, difficulty, delegating details, because I just want to make sure it's done right, and that's admirable. But if you, you know these, the this, these rigors of how I see the work happening, those can create that internal tension that this happens with all people. But if guardians are not careful, that can either work in that to their advantage or really really trip them up. And so that's where these strengths and these caution areas or these common traps come into play.
SB: It's related to the dominance and the high formality.
JB: So when the dominance is low.
SB: Yes, a collaborative decision-making style. It's a we thing, not an I thing. Right, what I think is always interesting and it is the contrast you just described if there's a high formality that can show up like a high dominance, like a person who needs to control and knows that their idea is the correct idea, can sound like and show up like a bossy person, like a high dominance person, but they're not. I mean it's only because they've done their homework and they know they're right.
JB: They know they're right. Yes, that's a great point, and so that's why having this data is so critical, because behaviors are not a reliable indicator of somebody's exact wiring.
SB: Right.
JB: Because behaviors can be manipulated and changed and people can show up under different circumstances. Yet that's why having the data is so critical.
SB: Tell us about what are the superpowers, what are the strengths of the guardian.
JB: Okay, so, as a guardian manager and actually all guardians, but think about it in the context of being a manager. Their superpowers, their strengths are they have a very thoughtful approach when communicating. They will think it through. They are also a very good listener, close attention to detail and strong discipline in execution. And so, at the very at the top of the episode, when you said I need a guardian, yeah, you and I both need a guardian, because we are in a totally different space on the competing values matrix. Now, that being said, just like everybody has their superpowers and strengths, we also have our common traps, or kryptonite, and the common traps for a guardian include being sensitive to criticism because of that high standard for accuracy and precision in somebody calling into question their work. They may avoid conflict and may find it very uncomfortable, and they may struggle in ambiguous situations.
And I remember one time I was working, I was coaching a manager who had a I believe it was a guardian he was either a guardian or an artisan on their team and he said I want to be careful because I don't want to micromanage them. I just say hey, listen, you're really bright, you are so capable. Whatever you do is good with me and this person was struggling and I said you don't understand. But that level of ambiguity does not help them. So what you are classifying as micromanagement, they may be seeing as just give me a roadmap, just help me understand what good looks like and give me some milestones, I'll fill in the rest. So I think this is where, if you don't really know the data, you may be mischaracterizing your management approach with somebody who could be a guardian or an artisan or specialist or operator, so anyway, so those common traps can happen.
SB: I have a good story about that, John.
JB: Awesome and I might've shared this.
SB: Some of our listeners may have heard this before, John, I know you have, and I might have shared this. Some of our listeners may have heard this before, john, I know you have. But when I was working in a previous role, I needed a spreadsheet. I needed to collect some vendor information for our learning management program and we had never had anything like that in the organization. So I went to my favorite finance person in the department next door and I sat down with her and I said, hey, will you help me put together a spreadsheet, because I want to start capturing this information? And she was like, yeah, I'll help you. What do you want? Like how do you want it to look? And I said I don't know, cause like you're the spreadsheet person.
So, I just need to collect this vendor information and um, as you can imagine, I won't bore you with how long this story like drug on, but we went back and forth and I left that day not having a spreadsheet and she was pretty frustrated with me and I kind of thought, gosh, she just doesn't like me, like she's not willing to do this work for me. No, she definitely needed the end game goal, like she needed to have the visual so she could accurately piece together a spreadsheet that met the expectations.
The challenge for me was I didn't have that, I didn't know that. I didn't know what I wanted.
I was kind of relying on her. So I think it's very easy to go gosh, like the fundamental attribution area this person doesn't care about me or they just don't want to do this work. No, she would have been happy to do the work and I think she wanted to reach across the table and choke me at one point. But it's a good real life example of, you know, specificity is gold. Like, tell me what you want. There are some people, and most often the managers that don't do well with people like that are the ones that don't need to have that themselves. So therefore they don't think they need to give that detail to someone else. Like, just use your briefcase, you know, use your expertise, figure it out. You're, you've done this before. Yeah, I've not done it here and I've not done it for you. So what do you want, what do you need? And could you, manager, just take a minute to thoughtfully share that with me, instead of hovering and flying off the handle?
JB: What a great example, and so, Sara, would you continue with that and just broaden that a little bit more? So, let's say, we have a guardian on our team, we're working with a guardian, and expand on that. So what are some of the things we need to do? What's a good way to work well with them?
SB: Yeah, Well, I think, first and foremost, guardians will always do their best when they're leveraging their specialized knowledge on a regular basis. So consistency, and you know, when they get to draw from the encyclopedia that they know well, they're going to be amazing. They like to have training in all aspects of the job and I would say step by step training wherever you can provide it. The more they know, the more confident and comfortable they feel that we need supportive environments for guardians. So, with that lower dominance and encouraging, reassuring work team well, it'd be low dominance and high patience. Together, those things create a need for a supportive work team, not always pointing out what's wrong or what's not right and then steadiness. So a stable work team, not not always pointing out what's wrong or what's not right and then steadiness. So a stable work environment. You know, don't thrust a guardian into a set of dynamics that are changing all the time. If the deck chairs are moving every day, or if we're changing our, our approach or the direction that we're moving, some patterns would thrive on that.
JB: Right.
SB: Guardian not so much. So some consistency, some steadiness and an opportunity for them to leverage their experience and expertise makes sense. Would you add anything to that, John?
JB: Well, when we were talking about one of their strengths a very thoughtful approach to communicating and I had mentioned they're a great listener, yeah, in working with a guardian and other reference profiles that are similar, they may be in a meeting or a discussion and be very quiet, and that could be misinterpreted as well. You're not asking questions, you're not saying anything that well, do they not even really care about this? And they are such a thoughtful listener that that can be misinterpreted as not caring and that could be completely the opposite of where they are. But does that make sense? I mean, you and I will be the ones that tend to vocalize and talk in a meeting, but we're self-aware and we need to adapt to that.
SB: This person is naturally more reticent and listening, yes, the reason they're reticent has already been described because there's a risk and you want to mitigate the risk. The more you know, the more you understand and you wait to kind of see what's going to happen the more confidence a person may have in interjecting a thought or an idea. So it's two things.
It's one, them doing their best work, which is internal that internal processing, analyzing, synthesizing, and the pace might be a little slower than some others in the room, so allowing time for that. I think about this, John. Whenever we do an exercise with a group or a leadership team, there's usually one or two people that take an extra full minute or two because they very thoughtfully considered the questions that they're answering and everybody else is kind of done and they're looking at their phone and it's just different.
It's a different way, but it is in fact their best way. So to allow for that and to recognize too that just because they're not participating verbally doesn't mean they're not contributing and that they won't contribute in the future.
JB: Right, quick side note. You are reminding me of a time I was with a client. He was actually a top leader for this facility. It was a distribution center and we were talking about. He was very frustrated because he had a member of his team and they were just getting started with PI. But he was. He was complaining because a member of the team was not contributing during their weekly meetings. He was just sitting there and I said, well, let's bring up the data. And we did, and this person was more of the process and precision reference profile. I don't know if it was a guardian. I said you can't make that assumption that he doesn't care. I said he is wired to listen and process and, you know, follow up with him afterward because that's where you're going to really start to find out his degree of involvement and commitment as he bought in. But it was again the sort of thing where he's not saying anything and you're just totally reading into that incorrectly.
SB: When we think about what guardian managers and employees need. I do want to emphasize you know there is a sensitivity to criticism that comes with that high formality.
JB: Okay.
SB: So the opposite of that would be encouragement and acknowledgement and kind of speaking to their sense of duty and honor. So a guardian is very diligent and disciplined. In fact, most of the stabilizing profiles are like that. They're just going to keep doing the work. You know a kind word, an encouraging thought, one that says you know what? This is exactly what I was hoping would happen. You're doing a great job. This is exactly what I asked for. They relish that feedback. They need to have that feedback to fuel, you know, the additional action. So, and any detail I'm thinking about someone on our team, john, who I'm adjusting to the level of detail is important Like, if you're going to give me a job to do or delegate something to me. You said it earlier, you know, remove the ambiguity.
JB: Like.
SB: I don't want to start with a blank slate. Could you give me a little sketch here? A straw man, so I can start to fill in the blanks and then we can go back and forth. That's the way they work best.
JB: Yeah, yeah. Okay, so avoiding ambiguity, providing more of a roadmap in terms of delegating information. But what's a good way to coach a guardian? Do you think if you had one on your team?
SB: Sure. Well, one thing that comes to mind is to just encourage them to think outside the box you know that this may be this even kind of daunting.
Perhaps, if we have a problem to solve, one way to do that would be to say, hey, what are two other ways we could solve this problem, so that you know they can maybe step out of the. This is the way we do it. Here are the steps we take, and just think more broadly. People with lower extroversion like the guardian pattern in my experience are highly creative when it comes to solving problems because of their thinking and analytical ability. So just giving them the opportunity to think outside of the zone they've become pretty familiar with can be helpful.
JB: Yeah, yeah.
SB: I have another thought.
JB: Yeah, go ahead.
SB: How about helping them prioritize their projects? So you know, there's all these projects. We have a lot of work to do, just making sure in the coaching format they have a sense of which ones are the most important and the highest priority because they could all seem really important and then they all could get a level of detail and work that could exhaust and burn out a guardian.
JB: Sara, that makes me think of all the work we do around psychological safety within teams and the guardian's need for accuracy and precision is so strong that if there is a real fear of making a mistake, that perhaps you might get some of that avoidance behavior. So within psychological safety we talk about destigmatizing failure and because a lot of organizations you know if you make a mistake you are, you're on the list or you are less than, and I would think that a high degree of psychological safety would allow a guardian and those reference profiles like a guardian a bit more freedom to explore and think outside the box, because when they get outside the box they could make a mistake and that risk is higher. But if you have a real strong sense of psychological safety which we can measure by the and you know, dealing with those risk elements?
SB: Yeah, and I think along those same lines. You know, making decisions by yourself can feel very risky.
Yes so for a guardian to have to choose without the support or the encouragement or the weigh-in of other people could be challenging. Without the support or the encouragement or the weigh-in of other people could be challenging, but they could be coached to make some important decisions on their own in the spirit of what you just described, Like if there's not fear of retaliation or you're going to get crossed off the list or looked at differently if you make a mistake. But in places where it's needed that guardians should be making some important decisions on their own, you're going to have to practice that a little bit with them.
JB: Yeah, absolutely Good point, good point.
SB: I would say clarity of expectations, very specific, measurable goals. You know the qualitative goal does not necessarily energize or work for the guardian. So what are the specific things we can check off the list? Any protection against risk, like we talked about. And I just want to maybe end on this note, John I find that in our work with lots of different kinds of clients that many of the reference profiles don't necessarily need to have that encouragement. Some absolutely do. This is one of them where recognition for their good work, for their diligence, for their loyalty. You know, some might say, oh, they're just doing their job. No, they're doing their job a very particular way.
It's steady, it's consistent, it's complete, it's efficient, it's effective, so that recognition, acknowledgement and a cooperative kind of environment, a supportive work environment, will go a long, long way.
JB: Yeah, and Guardian is one of the well 64, well, one of the nine reference profiles that falls within that change challenger group that we talk about. Yes, which represents the you know, 64% of the workforce. So that, really, I think, helps to emphasize that is, you know, if you can create that environment to help them flourish, help them grow, and that psychological safety is such that they will begin to maybe, you know, come out, you know, think outside the box, that's all you're going to. You'll start to see things that perhaps are a little bit unexpected.
SB: Let me just say, when it comes to challenging change, I think what can be somewhat shocking in some cases, but definitely challenging, for the guardian pattern is hey, I know all this stuff over here, I know these things, I'm comfortable with these things. I don't know what this new thing looks or feels or sounds like, and frankly, neither do you, because you can't really tell me what it is. So we could appreciate a little trepidation that might be exhibited in the form of resistance or frustration when clearly it's a matter of moving from knowing this to knowing something very different.
And then it's kind of letting go of what you know and embracing the new. Knowing that takes time, it takes runway. Their ability to kind of pivot over to something new just takes a little more effort and time and definitely solid, intentional communication.
JB: I think that's the perfect note on which to end. Awesome, Sara. Reminder go into the show notes If you haven't found out what your reference profile is. Please do that. It's so funny as we've been doing this series. Somebody clearly goes and completes the behavioral assessment. We send them their one-page reference profile description and then all of a sudden, we see people doing it from the same organization. It's like, okay, that's great. That's great. This is helpful. You've started on this pathway with behavioral DNA and understanding each other, so that's great. So go into the show notes and make sure you do that. So, Sara, thank you so much. A good one. Keep checking in everybody. We will have all 17 done, probably I don't know. We'll probably be wrapping this up sometime in January, but this is helpful and find out what your reference profile is.
SB: Well, we'll see you all next time on the Bosshole Chronicles. Stay 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.
-