The Glue Guy

Often on teams, especially in sports, the spotlight and praise are reserved for the superstars. These are the guys who make the crazy plays, hit the buzzer beaters, and do things only a freak of nature can do. Although they are worthy of the spotlight and praise, I think that there is a more important role on a team than the superstar. That role would be the glue guy, someone who does many of the little unnoticed things that are essential to the team’s success. On a sports team this can include providing moral support to teammates, consistently making the easy routine plays, always showing hustle no matter the circumstance, and being able to adapt to the different needs of each game and play.

One thing I have learned about sports is that many of the principles applied to and learned from them are very applicable to the professional world. On a professional team the glue guy is also very important. They might not be the person to come up with the outstanding solution, have the best skill set, or be the natural leader. But they are just as important. They will be the employees and coworkers you can count on to show up consistently, do the routine tasks that are vital to the organization’s success, and be willing to adapt to what the team and organization needs.

While a team full of superstars is often highly sought after, they can sometimes fall short of meeting their goals. This can be because everyone is trying to do spotlight things while the little important details can be forgotten or even ignored. At the same time many teams with one or two superstars supported by glue guys can be way more effective.

Glue guys are an underrated, underappreciated, unseen, essential part to any team.