In a world of flexible, remote and hybrid working, how do you create and maintain strong relationships with, and amongst, employees who are often working apart from one another? With engagement, productivity and personal ties on the wane, a different leadership approach is needed. Leaders urgently need to refocus on harnessing relationships, making their organisations more humane, and finding new ways to engage and unleash talent. To do that, the single, most impactful thing leaders can do is to create and nurture an intangible, yet essential factor called glue.
So, this book sets out some ideas about glue: where to look for it, how to use it and, most importantly, how to cultivate glue amongst your most valuable people. It explores the approach of some unusual leaders, and of firms transformed through the 'organisational advantage' of smartly configuring and harnessing talent. Using stories from firms such as Alibaba, Apple, Barclays, Sky, Husqvarna Group, HSBC, Space X, Zopa, and Richer Sounds, the book shows how leaders can shape the effectiveness of teams, reimagine the workplace, and reinvigorate the business to retain the loyalty of customers through the talents, ideas, and energy of their firm's best people.
This book is for anyone who has a genuine interest in leading others with impact and wants to better unite, transform and elevate their business. Whatever your role, sector, or seniority, this book sets out a distinctive vision for the firm and shows the profound impact you can make through creating and nurturing glue.
About the Author: John Dore is a Programme Director at London Business School, where he leads the school's flagship executive education programme, the Senior Executive Programme ('SEP').
