Glue People

the people who cross silos, regardless of title

I have discovered that building things is straightforward from a technical standpoint, but human factors often bedevil major projects. Project managers, agile coaches, and scrum masters know a lot about the science of getting things done but struggle with the more artistic elements (soft skills). It includes executive presence, emotional regulation, empathy for others, and learning to sacrifice for the team's benefit. We spend plenty of time concentrating on rockstars and code nijas. Let us turn our attention to the unsung heroes of organizations, who the Wall Street Journal calls the glue people.

Eric Schmidt: When I was at Novell, I had learned that there were people who I call “glue people”. The glue people are incredibly nice people who sit at interstitial boundaries between groups, and they assist in activity. And they are very, very loyal, and people love them, and you don’t need them at all.

• I don't necessarily agree "you don't need them at all", but needing them is often a sign that your organizational structure and culture are a mess. In other words, it's not their fault, it's yours. See soft skills.