What is a craftsman?
Craftsman: 1. a professional whose work is consistently of high quality.
By definition, that would cover anyone who does work in any profession, and in that profession, consistently does high quality work. If you were to ask someone (who had not seen the actual definition) what a craftsman is, they will probably give you a short list that might include; carpenters, woodcarvers, custom cabinet makers etc. If you ask someone what a ‘Professional’ is, they might say that it is someone who does something ‘For a living.’
With all of that in mind, you could say that if a person does something for a living, but the quality of their work is not consistently high, then they are not a craftsman.
Being a craftsman doesn’t mean that you never make mistakes, that you are perfect, or that everything you touch is golden. It means that you have set a high standard for your work and that you will always do everything in your power to ensure that the work set before you, when finished, is that of high quality.
So the question must be asked; what is high quality?
Let’s say that a plumber installs some plastic drain pipe. During the course of the installation, he or she doesn’t put quite enough glue on one of the joints. The joint held OK during the test and inspection. The inspector approves the work and signs off on the permit. Right before the plumber drains the system from the test, to put it into service, he or she notices a small leak from the joint that didn’t have enough glue. This joint is going to be covered over with dirt. The plumber is in a hurry and just leaves it figuring that someone else will have to fix it later (if it’s even found). It will take a long time, certainly past the warranty period before anyone notices, at which time, the owner will be stuck fixing it and will never know, that it leaked from the beginning.
What do you think. Is that plumber a craftsman or not?
How about this –
A framer working on building a new house, cuts a stud too short by an inch and a half, but, instead of using it somewhere else, somewhere a shorter board could be used, the framer just adds 6 or 7 more nails through the plate to hold it in place. The building inspector, having many inspections that day, can’t possibly go over every board in every house and doesn’t see it. The too short board is left in place. The big problem is that, this is common practice for this particular framer, he knows it and he doesn’t care.
What do you think. Is the framer a craftsman or not?
One more example –
A foundation man sets all of the forms for a house foundation. He gets the work inspected and is approved to pour the concrete. After the inspector leaves, the contractor goes around and takes one row of rebar out of the forms knowing that no one will ever see it after the concrete is in place. He figures that he can save money and pocket it. He will probably get away with it and no one will ever know.
What do you think. Is the foundation man a craftsman or not?
All of these individuals work in their respective fields as ‘Professionals’.
Let’s look at this a little differently. Let’s say that you are the professional, and you always do a first rate job, no matter what you are faced with. You are working along and your supervisor comes over and tells you to cut some corners, he states that something has come up and he needs to get out of this job as quickly as possible. You ask why, but he doesn’t want to go into it. What he is telling you to do, is something that is not technically immoral or illegal but you know that you will have to do a mediocre job in order to accomplish it. You can get it done, but it won’t be up to your normal standards. It won’t look like it should, it will probably be OK and last, though not as long as it could or should. You have a responsibility to your boss and to the customer. You also have a responsibility to yourself and your work ethic. What do you do? Some might say that the answer is simple. But depending on who you are, your answer may be different from someone else, even though you both think the answer is simple. Which one of you is right? What would a professional whose work is consistently of high quality, do?
What if you don’t want to compromise, but if you don’t do what the boss is asking, you will most likely lose your job, then you won’t be able to provide for your family.
Perhaps the difference between the true craftsman and someone else, is the attitude. Many won’t think twice about compromise, poor quality or anything else as long as it doesn’t affect them personally. A true craftsman always cares. About their work, the reputation of their boss, the needs of the customer etc.
Building, crafting, creating, being a skilled professional, is the most rewarding work there is. There is nothing else that compares to seeing the look on a customers face, when your work is unveiled to their complete satisfaction, and they know that you cared enough to give them your best. A true craftsman never stops learning, never stops thinking about what can be done better next time, and never gives up. True, professional craftsmen don’t just have high quality work, they care about more than just themselves.