Every team has its stars—the ones who get the spotlight, the big wins, the recognition. But if you look closer, you’ll find another kind of teammate quietly making everything work.
They connect the dots.
They calm the tension.
They set others up to succeed.
We call them the glue people.
In Episode 14 of Leadership Explored, we shine a light on these under-recognized teammates—the steady contributors who don’t always make the highlight reel, but who often determine whether a team thrives or falls apart.
Drawing on research from professional sports and lessons from organizational psychology, we unpack why assists matter more than heroics, why glue people so often go unnoticed, and what happens when leaders fail to recognize them.
Here’s a glimpse of what we cover:
🧩 Why NBA teams with higher assist rates consistently outperform star-heavy rosters
🏒 What Wayne Gretzky’s assists reveal about collaboration as the true game-changer
🏢 How workplace studies show collaboration and clarity drive success far more than solo heroics
⚠️ What leaders risk when glue people burn out or walk away
✅ How to spot, support, and design for glue behaviors in your teams
Whether you’re a team leader, an individual contributor, or an organizational architect, this episode will help you see the invisible work that makes success possible—and give you practical ways to value it.
🎧 Episode 14 releases Tuesday, September 23. Listen here: leadershipexploredpod.com
We’d love to hear from you: Who’s the glue on your team, and what difference have they made? Or, have you ever been in that role yourself?
Until next time, keep leading with purpose.
— The Leadership Explored Podcast