Available Now - Assists and Glue People – The Teammates Who Make Everything Work
They don’t ask for credit. But without them, everything falls apart.
If your team has ever suddenly lost momentum when someone went on PTO...
If a layoff ever left you wondering why everything is harder now...
Or if you’ve ever felt burned out from quietly holding everything together behind the scenes...
This episode is for you.
🎙️ Episode 14 of Leadership Explored is now live:
"Assists and Glue People – The Teammates Who Make Everything Work"
📲 Listen now: www.leadershipexploredpod.com
What We Talk About in This Episode:
Too often, we obsess over the most visible wins—big launches, demos, and deadlines met. But we miss the assists that made those wins possible.
In this conversation, we explore:
What “glue people” actually do—and how to spot them
Why organizations overlook the steady contributors who create real cohesion
How burnout and invisibility push your most valuable teammates out the door
Why team success is less about star players—and more about assists
How to intentionally design teams where support and collaboration are shared, not just expected
We draw from research in sports, psychology, and years of real-world leadership experience—including a personal story from Ed about being the glue, getting burned out, and receiving a performance review that didn’t acknowledge half the work he was actually doing.
Key Takeaways
🧠 Assists win games. Whether on the court or in the office, it's not about who takes the final shot—it’s about who made the shot possible.
🧩 Glue work and glue people aren’t the same. One is about coordination. The other is about creating conditions for team success.
🔥 Burnout is real. When glue people are overused and under-recognized, they leave. And when they do, cohesion crumbles.
🏗️ Leaders must protect and design for glue. Don’t rely on one person to make the system work. Build a system where connection and support are everyone’s job.
A Question for You:
💬 Who’s the glue on your team?
What happens when they’re not around?
Are they being recognized—or taken for granted?
Have you ever been in that role yourself?
We’d love to hear your story. Hit reply, or email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com.
🎧 Listen Now:
leadershipexploredpod.com
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, YouTube, and more.
Thanks for exploring leadership with us.
Every other Tuesday, we share honest, experience-based conversations about what it really means to lead today. If this resonated, consider subscribing or sharing this episode with a colleague who quietly holds things together.
Until next time—
Lead with purpose.
— Ed & Andy