While leaders often chase star talent, a quieter force may decide who wins. Behavioral scientist Jon Levy argues that “glue players” raise the game for everyone. These are teammates with strong emotional intelligence who help groups work better and stay focused. As teams head into high-stakes seasons and tight budgets, the question of who actually drives results is urgent.
Levy, an expert on human behavior and trust, puts it simply:
“‘Glue players’ have unusually high emotional intelligence and help the team win—by making everybody better.”
His view is gaining traction in boardrooms and locker rooms. Coaches, founders, and project leads are rethinking how they recruit, reward, and retain people whose value often hides in plain sight.
What Makes a Glue Player
In sports, the term “glue guy” has long described role players who settle huddles, read the room, and do the small things that stars do not. In offices, these people anticipate conflict, set tone, and translate across teams. Emotional intelligence, or EQ, sits at the core. It includes self-awareness, empathy, and social skill.
- They calm tense moments and keep focus.
- They spot who needs help before it is asked.
- They turn feedback into action without drama.
- They link people and ideas across silos.
The work is often invisible in a box score or quarterly report. Yet teams feel it when it is missing.
Evidence From Sports and Work
Coaches have long praised players like Udonis Haslem, Andre Iguodala, and Marcus Smart for impact that outstrips scoring lines. Their value shows up in better spacing, defensive talk, and younger teammates staying locked in. These acts change outcomes but rarely trend on highlight reels.
In the workplace, research points in the same direction. Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety—the sense that it is safe to speak up—was the strongest factor linked to high-performing teams. That safety is often built by people who listen well, draw out quiet voices, and frame errors as learning. A well-known meta-analysis has also tied emotional intelligence to better job performance across roles. The connection is not magic; it is how information, trust, and effort move through a group.
Levy’s claim aligns with this pattern. High-EQ teammates set norms that help others do their best work. They influence without fanfare, and they multiply skill already on the roster.
Why They Are Hard to Measure
Many scorecards miss the plays that hold a team together. In basketball, screens that free a shooter or a box-out that earns a rebound for someone else do not stand out in basic stats. In software or sales, time spent mentoring, shaping meetings, or translating between functions rarely lands in key metrics.
That blind spot has costs. If leaders pay only for goals, code commits, or quarterly wins, they may teach people to hoard credit. The quiet connector becomes the first cut, and overall performance slips.
The Debate: Stars vs. Glue
Skeptics say stars still drive outcomes, and they are right. Talent matters. A roster full of glue without elite skill will still lose. But elite skill without trust and coordination often falls short under pressure. The useful frame is balance.
There are limits, too. Teams that over-index on harmony can smother dissent. Healthy friction is part of strong performance. High-EQ players are most valuable when they protect candor and debate, not when they push for constant agreement.
What Leaders Can Do Now
Hiring and promotion should reflect what actually wins. That means screening for emotional intelligence and influence, not just solo output. Leaders can also reward the act of making others better.
- Add peer input to reviews, not just manager ratings.
- Track mentoring, onboarding support, and cross-team lifts.
- Teach conflict skills and set norms for clear, respectful pushback.
- Spot and develop rising “glue” early, before burnout sets in.
Small shifts send a strong signal: making teammates better is part of the job.
Levy’s message lands at a time when many teams are hybrid, global, and stretched. Coordination taxes are higher. In that setting, the person who quiets noise and keeps energy on the work may be the best edge a group has.
The takeaway is simple. Stars shine. Glue wins. Expect more teams to name, measure, and reward the people who lift others—because that is how groups turn talent into results. Watch for new metrics that capture influence and trust, and for contracts and bonuses that reflect the full picture of value.
