Reference Profile Series: The Promoter Manager
This episode of The Bosshole® Chronicles offers an in-depth exploration of the Promoter Reference Profile, one of the most common and dynamic personality types in The Predictive Index. Prepare to understand the core traits that make Promoters unique and learn how to leverage their natural abilities to create a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
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The Bosshole® Chronicles
"Reference Profile Series: The Promoter Manager"
Original Publish Date: 10/1/2024
Hosts: John Broer & Sara Best
John Broer: Are you ready for another episode talking about one of the 17 reference profiles out there? Well, that's what we're going to do this week. Hey everybody, welcome back to the Bosshole Chronicles. This is your co-host, John Broer. Good to have you with us.
As always, we just want to thank everybody out there in the Bosshole Transformation Nation for listening and sharing the podcast with other people. You can also check out some of our short reels on our Instagram channel. We are just so thankful and appreciative of the response that you have all given the program and we seek to continue delivering great content, and so this week we are going to continue our series on the Predictive Index Reference Profiles, and this week we're going to be talking about the Promoter Reference Profile, and I will be joined by none other than the amazing, remarkable, my good friend and business partner, Sara Best. This has been a really great series. The responses to it have been fantastic and, as we've said, we're going to drop in these reference profile episodes, you know, over the next few months uh, interspersed with our standard programming and our subject matter expert episodes and and ourables. We just thought that this would really be helpful in explaining reference profiles and what they mean. So let's learn more about the promoter manager.
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.
JB: Well, we're back, Sara, talking about some pretty important stuff here on the Bosshole Chronicles. What are we talking about today?
Sara Best: John, we are introducing the promoter reference profile which is, if I have our statistics right, the third most common PI pattern, PI reference profile.
JB: That is correct. To be specific, 9.65% of the human population are promoters. So well, cool. So this is part of our series that we're going to be, you know, dropping you know, over the next several months to help managers understand what their reference profile is. Cool, okay, let's- Let's start out high level. What is a promoter?
SB: Well, John, a promoter is a casual, uninhibited and persuasive extrovert with a tendency for informality. And, if I may, let me just add to that a very expressive person, very extroverted. There's some other great words we could assign: harmonious, supportive, encouraging, happy to be a member of a team. They can be charismatic, flexible, persuasive and even diplomatic. Who doesn't want that?
JB: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely well, as we've been, as we've been doing, we've been talking about the drives, needs, behaviors, signature work style, all that good stuff. And, by the way again, if you, if you don't know what your reference profile is, go into the show notes. There is a link there and you can find out your reference profile. But we're talking specifically to managers out there. Let's break this down a little bit more and talk about those drives, needs and behaviors.
SB: If I could just insert a thought here too, John.
JB: Yeah.
SB: I mean in case somebody's just joining us the idea behind predictive indexes drives needs behaviors. So, when we do these kind of short episodes where we're outlining managers and their certain reference profiles, we're always going to outline their drives, the needs they have and the behavior we can expect when those needs are met. And that's kind of the whole deal of PI drives, needs, behaviors. Our behavior is a response to whether our needs are met or unmet because they come from these very scientifically identified natural behavioral drives.
JB: All right, let's dig in there.
SB: Why don't you take us through the drives, needs and behaviors of a promoter?
JB: Okay, I'll do that, and great explanation, great explanation. So, promoters, generally, their highest drive is their extroversion drive, which is the drive for social interaction with other people, and their lowest drive, on average. It doesn't happen all the time. That's why we say get your exact data tends to be formality, and formality is the drive to conform to rules and structures. So that wide difference between a high extroversion and low formality means that they tend to be very, very, very informal, and we'll talk a little bit more about that as we talk about potential traps. They also have tend to have, on average, more situational patience. That's the pace, and so they can, you know, at times, depending on the circumstance, move faster or slow things down, and they tend to have lower dominance, which means that they tend to be more harmony seeking and well collaborative by nature.
And and again, a few weeks ago we talked about the collaborator reference profile, and the collaborator and the promoter actually are share in common. They're they're grouped together. The promoter is a social profile, but they're grouped together in what we would call teamwork and employee experience and they're more cultivating together. So these are the people, people, and so those drives result, as you said, in these needs. These are the felt needs of a promoter. They feel the need. They have the need for harmony. They seek it out. Social acceptance many, they seek it out social acceptance. They really want and need a supportive work team and freedom from rigid structure of expectations and I think, ahead.
SB: They want to put their own thumbprint on things.
JB: Well, and yeah, they don't hem me in with a lot of rules, give me some wiggle room, give me some flexibility. And then, when you think about the resulting behaviors, they obviously tend to be highly collaborative, outgoing and that high extroversion connection with people I kind of think that collaborators and promoters and it's the same with higher extroversion people you and I. I'm a captain, you're a persuader. If we don't have that, sometimes we feel like we're withering away a little bit, we don't have that opportunity to flourish. So that connection with other people, they tend to be patient, although, like I said, that can be situational and very flexible. To your point, it's like oh hey, let's not worry about the rules. I mean, that was more of a guideline. Let's sort of keep things a little bit loose. So those are the drives, the needs and the behaviors, and you'll see that when you get your data. So let's shift over from manager, promoter, manager, signature work styles Sara, tell us about those.
SB: Well, you're going to find the promoter manager signature work styles Sara, tell us about those. Well, you're going to find the promoter manager being very fluent, very talkative, very engaging, a good listener, very sympathetic. That high extroversion creates a predisposition for great empathy. So, tuning into the other person, listening, engaging, connecting with people in that way they're happy to delegate authority. That lower formality means hey, I don't necessarily need to know how you're going to do everything. I don't need specifics, but I need to know that it's going to happen. So delegating authority has to do with the dominance. This is a person who would rather collaboratively make decisions or defer. They can be a great number two in some cases because it reduces the risk of, you know, making big decisions on your own, but, anyhow, delegates details freely.
And we'll say with little follow up, but naturally might be moving on to the next thing. Yeah, and I think the other thing is, with a promoter, you're going to see some outside the box thinking that there's a predisposition to dream up ideas and their orientation toward risk, which we always look at. When we look at reference profiles, profiles respond with positivity and clarity and energy goes up. Some profiles are more negatively impacted by pressure and quick deadlines. So you might see a negative response to either high risk kind of things like I'm not sure, or you know, this is how you're going to do it exactly and you need it done by tomorrow. So no flexibility means maybe bristle, bristle a little bit at authority.
JB: Yeah, I love that word, you use that word and that's a great way to describe that. And, interestingly enough, now if you're a promoter and you get your reference profile, the average pattern that is shown there is going to show lower formality. And this is one of those unique things, because sometimes and we've encountered this we've worked with promoters that actually have higher formality, where they are more focused on detail. I've run into people that have sort of generally said and this is a mistake, because we never want to make generalizations, that's why we say always get the data. Yes, promoters have all of these characteristics. But I heard somebody who had a very little bit of knowledge, a little bit of knowledge about predictive index, say, oh, promoters, man, they don't follow the rules or anything else like that. It's like that's not true. You can't make that generalization unless you have a person's actual data. And so when you think about it, those strengths and those common traps can vary between promoters. And so if we think about on average and again this isn't right, wrong, good or bad, it just is so what are the superpowers or the strengths of a promoter, manager or in general and we'll talk about direct reports in a little bit, but they tend to be a motivating and stimulating communicator.
You could see that in the promoters with whom we've worked there's an excitement to have a conversation, to talk about something, to explore and wonder about things, like you said, outside the box thinker. They tend to take a flexible approach to most situations and people and we'll talk about common traps in a little bit. Maybe that can work to become a bit of a trap laissez-faire approach, and we'll look at that in a second. And it's very hard to discourage them. It says you know, as we look at our descriptions, it doesn't take no for an answer and there's a persistence there and part of it is I'm going to, I'm going to make sure you, that one, you like me, and that I, that I, I present a positive force for good with you and they'll work really hard to break down barriers in terms of relationship and rapport and it's just. That's just a really interesting aspect of the promoter. Now there are also some traps that can come with it as they do, uh, as we get traps with every reference profile.
Sometimes, in their effort, I think, not to take no, uh, they can be overly talkative and sometimes appear a little superficial. I think that low formality of you know, oh, I could do that, we could do that, we could do that, maybe saying yes like the collaborator, maybe over committing and under delivering that could be a trap, excessively casual or uninhibited. There are certain circumstances where adapting and being a bit more formal and managing your words or your relationship a little bit differently and we're not asking people to change, because people don't change, but adaptation in that can be very beneficial for a promoter. And this is another trap and think about it If you're a manager and you're a promoter, sometimes they prioritize being liked or being the center of attention over results.
You and I were. Before we hit record, I was remembering a colleague person with whom we worked who was all excited about doing this and yes, let's get this done and I'll do this and I'll do this. And after months it's like, well, this isn't happening. And it was just again. It was his natural promoter characteristic where we weren't seeing results, but it was a lot of fun to be around him and that can be a real trap.
SB: Absolutely Well. The icon of the reference profile promoter is a- what do you call that? A megaphone.
JB: Megaphone. That's right, you know cheerleading. Yeah no-transcript.
SB: Very rigorously following steps to something isn't quite as appealing as talking or thinking about where we're going and what's coming next.
And I think that's so they could prioritize growth and change, or just like we can get better at this and I think you'll find great loyalty in the promoter pattern. So very committed to the team, very committed to the people on the team as a manager. But, as you identified, those caution areas can be really problematic for today's manager taking too long to make a decision, making conversations that are tougher and more challenging, making those a low priority or avoiding those and struggling with the tough decisions, like actually calling it.
This is what we need to do, which we know as a leadership competency is being decisive. So, John, how do we work well with the promoter manager?
JB: Well, yeah, for a peer on a leadership team or we're a direct report. So a way to do that is understand and acknowledge their need to be social. They put great value in that social connection and they like that high level of social and group activities. As you've said, give them freedom.
Don't hem them in with a lot of rules and structure and at the same time, while they prefer unstructured work and they like to delegate details, at the same time we have to hold as we do with everybody hold them accountable and so establish expectations, establish timelines and just just know that, hey, all right, you've agreed to do this, let's pick this timeline to get it done, even if they may bristle, you know, or grouse at well, you're, you know, listen, you're, you know, listen, I'm, I'll get this done, don't worry about it. It's like, yeah, but we have to have some timeline there. And then finally, let them promote, let them sell. They are, they're great at articulating things about which they are passionate and excited and excited and working together, but at the same time, when they do that, recognize them for that accomplishment.
The thing that they are good at is they are good at persuading and motivating other people, and we just want to make sure that that superpower and that capability is used in a very positive way and doesn't result in unkept promises or sort of these grandiose ideas that really aren't practical. And I think that gets back to something else you said the promoter is a natural talker. I mean, they are verbal, they're vocal, their words are part of their skill set, if you will.
They could also be weapons if we push them to a high degree of pressure. But the thing that happens is, if they're using their words a lot, they're not able to access their other strength as a communicator, and that's listening. They can be a very good listener, but it's hard to do if they're talking. So that's in terms of working with them, encouraging them to remember that the good Lord gave us one mouth and two ears and we need to use them proportionally. I need to remind myself of that, otherwise, I mean, you've got somebody that will just literally coalesce other people, and that's a great way to work with them.
SB: John, I want to circle back to something you talked about with that higher extroversion and the need to be liked and the need to be valued and important in the process. It is important for us to know, when capitalizing on the relationship you may have with a peer manager who's a promoter, or if your boss is a promoter, or if you actually supervise a promoter, that social acceptance and opportunities to influence things. So influence is about importance and significance. Can I contribute to this?
And if people feel that their ideas are not understood or even taken under consideration or valuable, that could be challenging. But the other thing is that public recognition you kind of touched on this. It's okay to call a promoter out for good work. Other reference profiles we're going to talk about not so much.
The operator pattern no way, that's a low extroversion. They like to sit in the back of the room. They'd love a handwritten thank you note, but the promoter almost appreciates the public recognition and I speak from a high B perspective. I know that firsthand. And it says visible signs of accomplishments. So I don't think that means a fancy new car and a great big office. For most people it means I need to know that the work we've done produced something valuable.
Yes that the work we've done produced something valuable. So I think that's and just this opportunity to engage. The work happens with and through other people with this high extroversion pattern, so capitalizing on those superpowers would be important.
JB: Nice, very nice. Yeah, well, let's shift gears a little bit, as we've done with the other reference profiles, and you've given us a little bit of a hint into it. What if we have a promoter on our team? They are, so we're a manager and we have a promoter as a direct report. So let's just shift this a little bit, if that's okay. And you've started to give us a glimpse into it. And, as a reminder promoter casual, uninhibited person with high extroversion, has a tendency for informality. So when we think about motivating and recognizing and Sara just talked about this with a promoter that idea, that recognition that is more public and reflects those team accomplishments, and their ability to persuade and motivate others.
They want that. They will soak that up, unlike, like you said, the operator, as we talked about in a previous episode. Not so much. You want to create a work environment that is free from competition. It's not that they can't show up as being somewhat competitive on their own, but if you are pitting a promoter against somebody else, that will not work well for them in terms of motivating and really tapping into their superpowers. And just make sure that you're giving them the flexibility in their work rather than rigid rules and structure. There have to be some rules and structure, but if they feel like those are becoming an impediment, then you're going to diminish their capabilities.
SB: That's right.
JB: So what about direction and feedback? What do we need to do with promoters?
SB: Yeah, I think first and foremost, you got to recognize that there's low formality, which means not a lot of attention to detail. So if what you do is continuously outline details and minutiae, you're going to lose the promoter. Talk at a high level and get into details and specifics when you need to, but give them an overview that works a lot better and give them the freedom to deliver work around the expectations without prescribing how they should do it. There's going to be that need to kind of figure it out and do it their own way. Be careful when providing feedback that it doesn't come off as personal or judgmental.
So there's that high B thing. Oh my gosh, you're criticizing me, I look bad. They want to feel like, they want to feel appreciated, and I think I haven't met a profile yet that appreciates critical feedback and begs for it every day. But we need to have it, and so that we can have it effectively, you have to have a healthy relationship with this person.
And there has to be some trust established. The other thing is clear expectations and guidelines, which are always helpful, no matter what the reference profile, but a very specific outcome, a very specific set of milestones, not necessarily every step between them and how those are going to be achieved, but anytime you can provide specificity with the clear expectations. And especially, what does the end result need to look like? So you're giving the promoter some freedom and flexibility to derive at the end result and and get there how they, how they want to. But you're very clear on what that should look like. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
JB: What does success look like? That's good. So, regarding delegation, to your point, Sara, do not delegate work that is highly detailed or solitary in nature. In other words, don't put them out on an Island with a lot of you know and bury them in high detail work and and I love what you said help them understand what good looks like by the end of this. This is what success looks like, and so, when you're delegating, give them some of that flexibility to use that out of the box thinking. So, if you're a manager and you're stuck right now and maybe your reference profile is such that you aren't, you tend to be a bit more rigid in your thinking and a bit more tactical in your thinking versus strategic, yeah, go grab a promoter, find a promoter on your team and say, listen, we got to really think differently about the way we do this and watch them flourish, because that is part of their hard wiring. That's awesome. That is awesome. So what are some just coaching tips, Sara, for the promoter, that a manager could use with a promoter?
SB: Well, make sure your coaching sessions don't turn into a long, lengthy conversation. There can be a lot of talking and so for the promoter. You know those coaching conversations need to be a bit more specific, ask very direct questions and keep the conversation focused, because during the coaching they also need to listen and learn.
JB: Right.
SB: Um processes and routines are important, especially the ones that they need to follow, so ensuring that there's appropriate training and awareness of those processes is really helpful.
JB: Right.
SB: Just be very clear these are. These are the non-negotiables.
JB: Yeah.
SB: Some of these things maybe not so much, and then the hardest thing for a promoter may be that they have to deliver bad news, or say no, or tell somebody it's not going to work out. So unfavorable news like that might require some support, like how do I say this? Can you practice with me? Can you give me an idea of how you've done this in the past?
So, supporting that person, especially when it comes to more critical or what could be perceived as very negative feedback. This is where the promoter leader manager needs to adjust and adapt. Like I know this is uncomfortable, I know this may hurt the other person's feelings. I'm not going to make this personal and I can't avoid this because people on my team are counting on me to address this issue, cause if I don't address it, there's going to be no trust and credibility on our team. So you got to maybe help walk them through that.
JB: Sara, I love that and I would imagine because I mean you know from personal experience and we've worked with and had promoters in our lives and our careers that if you're a promoter manager or you know you have a promoter on your team, a direct report, that just being very being transparent from the beginning, letting, letting the person know, say listen, I think it's important for us to be very transparent and honest and I will, I will always seek to be very forthright with you. If for things that are great and things that are troubling, I mean if, if, if you stumble, if something goes wrong, we will talk about it. Okay, because because if you spring this on a promoter right, that can be crushing. You know, even if it's done in private and, by the way, any, any critique, any critique, any feedback that needs to be constructive for any of the reference profiles this is a best practice for managers has to be done in private, and I'm going to give you a quick example, really quick example, because we love examples.
I was part of a team and, while I don't know that this individual was exactly a promoter, I do know that there was no question. Based on my work with him and knowing him, his extroversion was super high and he was not great about follow through in detail. But we were in a meeting and something had happened. Something had happened and he had something didn't follow through and the manager chastised him at the table in front during our weekly meeting and you could see his spirit was absolutely crushed and obviously that was a horrible, horrible way to do it. And the manager interestingly enough, later that day I happened to be in that manager's office he said, yeah, I'm thinking that probably wasn't a great thing to bring up during the meeting and I said I would agree with you. I said because did you see him? I said I said he was so dejected and so crushed.
I said that's the sort of stuff you do in private and I'm thinking I mean, this is the owner of the business and I'm coaching him on this, but a great example where somebody with very high extroversion that was demonstrated, high extroversion just was diminished. And that's the sort of thing. Do that in private and especially like with a promoter or a collaborator, high extroversion, highly empathetic individuals. That's the way to approach it and also let them know that this is just part of how things are. It's the reality of life, because if not, that internalization can be very powerful and they feel hurt.
SB: Well, I happen to have a lot of promoters in my life and my reference profile isn't far off from that, in that I have high extroversion and low formality. My dominance is a little bit higher and therefore I'm a little more competitive and proactive, but I'm still, as people focus. One thing I know for sure is that the promoter pattern, the person who has that promoter pattern, is very capable to do many different kinds of things. People have asked us, John, like can the PI help us understand what industry a person should work in? And we say no to that. The PI can help you identify your drives, your needs and the subsequent behaviors you can expect when those needs are met.
So it can help point to an environment or a culture that you're going to work well in, but the kind of job you do can be pretty broad, and so I know promoters that have done very specific and detailed things like accounting, and I know promoters that have done very specific and detailed things like accounting, and I know promoters that have been, you know, motivating team leaders where they delegate the details, but their capabilities are solid and I do think this high extroversion is a lever that a promoter manager needs to manage. Like you need to watch that and dial that up and down accordingly mostly down actually if you ask me about it, and for me, for example, I would love to delegate the details.
In fact, we're in a position now where I'm starting to do that more and more. It's not my strong suit. The people part, the relationship part, made much better when I'm not bogged down by the details.
JB: If I may, I think that's a great example of where you have somebody we have somebody on the team who is an operator, who, who has that formality and as a compliment so in other words, the two of you working together is, you know, he's offsetting that area. That I just don't. I this is not my strong suit, this is not a superpower of mine and able to able to leverage his capabilities, that's. That's a great example. But if you don't know it, you may know it about yourself, but if you don't know it about others, how do we properly equip them to be successful in their roles? Because we, if we inadvertently put a promoter in a role that is isolated and has a lot of detail, don't be surprised when disengagement goes through the roof. It's not that they can't do it, it's just not where they're optimized. That makes total sense.
SB: It is. It is, and I'll add one more little hack. So, if you happen to be a promoter out there in the Bosshole Transformation Nation, this is something I learned a while ago. As a persuader, I don't like to attend to detail, but there are things that really require my significant and prolonged attention to detail, and I use the high extroversion as the source for my ability to do that. I don't want to look bad. I don't want to make my team look bad. I don't want to misstep, because I don't want us to look bad plain and simple, so that becomes an extra motivation for doing the details.
JB: Sara, I think that's great. You're using all of your drives to help understand well, build your self-awareness, but also leverage and attack any kind of work possible, and that's why we say you can't look at one drive and know a person. You have to look at the entire pattern, if you will, and all of the factor combinations.
SB: What I wanted to share, kind of as we wrap up here and it's very similar with a collaborator, the promoter, the high extroversion patterns will look for that, for lack of a better term, some warm and fuzzy and fairness.
And what is more important to them in the long run is that people have a voice, that people are given the opportunity to engage, that they're valued and that things happen kind of in a fair and consistent manner. And if they don't, that becomes a real detractor and then, you know, the work may suffer. So don't be surprised if your promoters and collaborators tend to focus more on what's not right in a process or how something isn't being handled effectively consistently, because they're looking out for others on the team. And that's a superpower.
JB:We've got to leverage that they're looking out for others on the team, and that's a superpower. We've got to leverage that. Good point, great point, well, good one. Another good one, another good one on our reference profile. So, everybody, go into the show notes If you want to know what your reference profile is. There's a link right there and, by the way, as this series continues, we're going to put the previous ones in the show notes so you can go back and by the time we get through all 17, and it's probably going to be, you know, months from now, because we just drop, intersperse these and drop these in, you're going to have an entire archive, if you will, about understanding reference profiles. So check out the show notes and understand if promoter is your reference profile. Well, Sara, thanks very much, appreciate it.
SB: You too, John. Let's go back out into the world and make good things happen, but in the meantime we'll see y'all next time on the Bosshole Chronicles.
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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