Friends of Dave #441: 🩳 manu jumping 💦
Revisiting The Glue.
Friends, this was a pretty busy week. I was running around at a big industry event with about 20 colleagues and also co-hosted a social event one of the evenings to boot. It was productive, fun and exhausting — and it all reminded me of a topic we discussed here a few years ago. So bear with me while I am a little tapped out and check out a revised look at a very important aspect of all successful organizations.
Friends, I have seen this time and again in both my personal and professional life.
There is this hidden characteristic of all successful partnerships and organizations that almost never gets its proper due: it is called "The Glue."
What is The Glue?
The Glue is what binds everyone together, through tribulations and success, and just keeps things moving in the right direction.
People often mistake it for culture or mission or values. But it is a lot more than that.
The Glue is what gives any organization its "heart" and "soul."
It's a spirit that takes root (usually inspired by the mission and values) that acts as a constant drum beat. People can't describe it or often don't notice it during the day to day operations, but they just know it is there.
The Glue can be comprised of any number of things:
👉 It can be a logo.
👉 A color.
👉 A motto.
👉 A piece of swag.
👉 It can be a key performance metric.
👉 It can be an annual organized event.
Most often, however, The Glue is a vibe or undercurrent of a culture that drives certain people to bring others together.
You know who those people are: they are the organizers. They are the cheerleaders. They are the improvisers. They can be both the jokers and the willing foil for the joke makers. They are the connectors.
They are the MCs when no one else wants to be the MC. They are the ones who vamp when the demo is being delayed by technical difficulties. They say "let's keep going" when everyone else wants to quit.
They put the good of the team over themselves.
The Glue does not show up anywhere on a company income statement or balance sheet. You don't hire for it or put it in any job description. You cannot put a tangible value on it.
But everyone feels the void without it when it is not there.
Smart leaders understand this. They never take The Glue for granted. There is always a budget for The Glue.
So look around your own organization. What, and more importantly, who is The Glue? What are those things that make up the heart of your group and that, without them, things would work but not be the same?
When you identify The Glue, acknowledge it. Cherish it. Nurture it. Most importantly, be grateful for it while you are lucky to have it.
Because things are never the same if you let that go.
XOXO
Dave
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