Recently, I blogged that the “Glue Player” (GP) or Glue Guy (GG) is a new management phrase derived from basketball and baseball.
The term describes someone in a team “who holds everything together, often without seeking recognition for their efforts.”
GPs have other attributes: they “lead from behind.” They let the stars shine while making sure the team succeeds as a whole.
But, there is a team member one might label as an un-glue worker.
Like Kelley’s Alienated Follower, the un-glue worker is high in critical thinking but low in active engagement. Un-glue workers are smart, capable, and often highly skilled.
However, in my experience with un-glue workers I’ve met and observed, they’ve evolved, for some reason, from positive contributors into cynical and disgruntled employees.
They -being critical thinkers – see the problems a team faces but choose not to help even if they have solutions in mind.
Interestingly, they do not want to kill off the organization; instead they are OK with mediocrity or passively “muddling along”.
If the ship does go down, they will be the first in the life boats.
In sports like basketball or American soccer (known as football in the rest of the world), an un-glue player is called a ball hog, a player who resists, instead of assists, helping someone else to score.
Instead, the un-glue player takes a low percentage shot without passing to an open teammate.
Another practice of the un-glue worker comes straight out of a WWII sabotage manual: “Never pass on your skill and experience to a new or less skillful worker.”
And, the sabotage manual advises, “When training new workers, give incomplete or misleading instructions.”
The un-glue worker erodes morale through gossip. He or she vents their frustration not to leadership (who could fix it), but to peers, often poisoning the team atmosphere.
Similarly to gossip, the un-glue worker undercuts the leader’s ideas. He or she organizes the “meeting after the policy meeting” and texts a colleague: “Can you believe we agreed to that? It’s never going to work.”
Another pathological quality is the un-glue worker’s following rules verbatim.
Instead of improvising and improving on something meant to be a guideline, they treat it as something incontrovertible.
They are malicious “servants of the letter” – even when they know sticking to “the letter of the law” will lead to a poor outcome.
Not surprisingly, the un-glue worker hoards information that would help solve problems.
Nor does he or she ask relevant and informative questions which just might help other team members.
I asked an AI robot on how to turn around an un-glue worker. Here are some ideas.
First, hold a private, non-defensive meeting. Acknowledge that their input hasn’t always been utilized well.
Give them permission to be critical, but channel it into a structured environment. For example, say, “ I want you (the un-glue worker) to poke holes in this. What is the biggest risk we aren’t seeing?”
If you make use of AARs, after action reviews, be sure to include them and ask for their assessment of what worked and what did not.
Instead of giving tasks, ask the un-glue worker for outcomes or goals as to what needs doing.
While this step will take time and effort, adopt “extreme transparency” around management decisions. Explain, patiently, to the un-glue worker the why of a particular decision.
If and when the un-glue worker begins to make positive contributions amplify their doing so, far and wide.
Alas, some un-glue workers are dedicated to undermining their organization and all your rehabilitation efforts will be for nothing.
When an un-glue worker moves from passive resistance to active sabotage, then it is time for separation.
Of course, you will need to be prepared for a major battle since the un-glue person won’t go quietly.
Involve HR early on so they do not become an ally of the un-glue worker, who will very effectively promote the idea you are persecuting them.
N.B. For other essays on numerous other topics go to my Nucleus archive from 2010-early 2025.
© Copyright all text John Lubans 2025