By Glue People, I don't mean the 1996 Mad About You episode with the same title, nor am I referring to anything related to glue sniffing. What I mean by "glue people" is similar to the way Larry Wall, the creator of Perl, used the term. In any organization or any major endeavor, glue people are the ones who hold things together and keep everything going. These are people who welcome and listen to multiple viewpoints, bridge gaps between differing opinions, and, without really forcing themselves onto anyone, keep people working productively together. It's not one person that does this, but many people throughout the organization fulfill the glue person role. Most people are glue people to some degree; some are just better at it and can sustain the glue role continually and more effectively.
If you stop and think about it for a moment, I bet you can sense who the glue people are in your own organization. They generally don't crave the limelight and their work is done behind the scenes, but if you are in a position to bestow recognition and reward performance, you should keep the glue people in mind and try to nurture them. We need more glue people—they're a truly invaluable resource for any organization.
Tags: glue people gluepeople
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