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Glue: How Project Leaders Create Cohesive, Engaged, High-Performing Teams
“ Glue offers a rare gift to project managers. It artfully blends specific step-by-step recommendations of how to move from project management to project leadership with the psychological rationale for taking those steps.” - Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion
An Essential Guide to Get Stuff Done
How many books have you read on project management? On leadership? Too many, right? But no other book combines the practice of project management and leadership into one balanced approach with practical examples—except this book.
You don’t even need Project Manager in your title to employ the lessons in this book. You can be any person on any team who has stepped up to take a leadership role on a critical initiative.
You’ll learn the critical blend of management and leadership skills that will make you indispensable to any project. You’ll learn what it takes to become the binding agent—the glue—that creates cohesive, engaged, high-performing project teams.
The author’s methods have been battle-tested against real technology projects. Her insight and vision reach beyond theory into application and can be used immediately regardless of the length, scope, or phase of your project—whether it’s planning a wedding, remodeling a home, or leading a team in a major website revamp or product launch or company start-up.
You’ll learn—
An Essential Guide to Get Stuff Done
How many books have you read on project management? On leadership? Too many, right? But no other book combines the practice of project management and leadership into one balanced approach with practical examples—except this book.
You don’t even need Project Manager in your title to employ the lessons in this book. You can be any person on any team who has stepped up to take a leadership role on a critical initiative.
You’ll learn the critical blend of management and leadership skills that will make you indispensable to any project. You’ll learn what it takes to become the binding agent—the glue—that creates cohesive, engaged, high-performing project teams.
The author’s methods have been battle-tested against real technology projects. Her insight and vision reach beyond theory into application and can be used immediately regardless of the length, scope, or phase of your project—whether it’s planning a wedding, remodeling a home, or leading a team in a major website revamp or product launch or company start-up.
You’ll learn—
242 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2022
86 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 17, 2023
I work with Anh and have often turned to her to help me think through product issues. I found her book to be especially insightful because it distills a lot of the principles that have guided her thinking during our discussions. Throughout my reading of her book, I found myself thinking back to conversations we've had and realizing that much of our problem-solving approaches ended up following methodologies and practices evangelized in the book.
Beyond just being a synthesis of Anh's many years of experience in program management, it's also a good coalescence of information from a broad range of books and topics which bolster the rationale behind some approaches.
That is all to say that I am super grateful that Anh took the time to write all of this in a book. It will be a reference point for me going forward so that I can better reflect on product problems within the frameworks she provided and it's a treasure trove for everybody in the program and product management space since it summarizes skills that would otherwise take 20+ years to hone.
Beyond just being a synthesis of Anh's many years of experience in program management, it's also a good coalescence of information from a broad range of books and topics which bolster the rationale behind some approaches.
That is all to say that I am super grateful that Anh took the time to write all of this in a book. It will be a reference point for me going forward so that I can better reflect on product problems within the frameworks she provided and it's a treasure trove for everybody in the program and product management space since it summarizes skills that would otherwise take 20+ years to hone.
January 24, 2023
Good concepts and certainly some tools and reminders of things I should be doing better, but not a lot of instructions that are new to me. As someone who has been burned by 'hustle' culture the last few years the focus at the end on your work colleague being your friends and family fell a little flat, but would probably be great for people maybe a little younger and less burnt out than me. Overall a good read, but I'm not sure I was the best target audience.
July 18, 2022
Easy-to-read, well-structured book. Feeling inspired after reading it.
April 24, 2022
Glue is a super-digestible read, and I imagine I’ll come back to it often over the coming years for a practical refresher.
Anh’s writing is clear, straightforward, and relatable. This reads less like an academic business self-help, and more like a 1:1 conversation with a mentor you admire who has had a proven track record of delivery (and having had fun while doing it).
She lets you in on the secrets to her success, and walks you through her rationale and thought process, so that you too can synthesize that information and adapt your framework for thinking and approaching various situations. It’s this that I think makes Glue an enduring and relevant text — it’s less of a “if X, do Y” conversation, and more a study in which types of challenges go with which types of solutions, with lots of latitude to exercise creativity and personal flair within those guardrails.
Glue is a book I wish I had 15-20 years ago when I first started becoming immersed in project-based work. I will be keeping multiple copies around — at home and at the office — so that I always have it handy as a reference.
Anh’s writing is clear, straightforward, and relatable. This reads less like an academic business self-help, and more like a 1:1 conversation with a mentor you admire who has had a proven track record of delivery (and having had fun while doing it).
She lets you in on the secrets to her success, and walks you through her rationale and thought process, so that you too can synthesize that information and adapt your framework for thinking and approaching various situations. It’s this that I think makes Glue an enduring and relevant text — it’s less of a “if X, do Y” conversation, and more a study in which types of challenges go with which types of solutions, with lots of latitude to exercise creativity and personal flair within those guardrails.
Glue is a book I wish I had 15-20 years ago when I first started becoming immersed in project-based work. I will be keeping multiple copies around — at home and at the office — so that I always have it handy as a reference.
April 2, 2022
A really great book that cuts out the fairly condescending attitude of so many business books and provides intimate and up close stories that you can apply. A lot of times, the stories here ring so true to my current life as a parent and a project manager. This helped a lot with solving some daily problems.
What I personally feel is that COVID has materially changed the way work happens. Remote work is great, but the social network among co-workers and colleagues has changed dramatically. This has dire impact on our ability to collaborate and deliver great work. I've seen many very large issues arise around personal communication by co-workers and I see so many of the warnings of Mrs. Pham's chapters heralding.
I think Glue underlies a real kindness that is missing in work and the human language used here is wonderfully applicable. It's not that we are not kind, but that we've all suffered a great trauma going through this pandemic.
I found this book wonderfully helpful. An amazing writer with stories that stay with you. Anh feels as much a type of Marie Kondo, a friend you have that can give you solid advice. I recommend this book for anyone trying to get by in these COVID times.
What I personally feel is that COVID has materially changed the way work happens. Remote work is great, but the social network among co-workers and colleagues has changed dramatically. This has dire impact on our ability to collaborate and deliver great work. I've seen many very large issues arise around personal communication by co-workers and I see so many of the warnings of Mrs. Pham's chapters heralding.
I think Glue underlies a real kindness that is missing in work and the human language used here is wonderfully applicable. It's not that we are not kind, but that we've all suffered a great trauma going through this pandemic.
I found this book wonderfully helpful. An amazing writer with stories that stay with you. Anh feels as much a type of Marie Kondo, a friend you have that can give you solid advice. I recommend this book for anyone trying to get by in these COVID times.
April 1, 2022
The great Agile Transformation is behind us, Glue is the book that we need right now to learn how to get big stuff done across talented teams. From achieving alignment, to taking great notes to understanding what kind of plan is right for your team, this book has all the tools and techniques that have made Anh Pham a sensational success in her career that we can all learn from.
April 2, 2022
The world of project management needs people like Anh! Her experience coupled with her humanity bring the necessary tone to genuinely inform.
Treat yourself and become better in the process!
Treat yourself and become better in the process!
March 26, 2022
"One-stop shop for all Project Leaders!!"
Glue is an amazing book written in a form that can serve as a checklist with pointed guidance on how to handle specific problems during the lifecycle of a project. Anh, starts with a good reflective question on Project Leader vs Project Manager. There is something to learn in every chapter and for me, the biggest takeaway is Planning and how to approach planning depending on the type of project. We all are so used to doing postmortems and retrospectives, the concept of premortem is something I am looking forward to adopting in relevant projects.
Glue is an amazing book written in a form that can serve as a checklist with pointed guidance on how to handle specific problems during the lifecycle of a project. Anh, starts with a good reflective question on Project Leader vs Project Manager. There is something to learn in every chapter and for me, the biggest takeaway is Planning and how to approach planning depending on the type of project. We all are so used to doing postmortems and retrospectives, the concept of premortem is something I am looking forward to adopting in relevant projects.
March 15, 2024
Great book, very practical! Dragged a bit towards the end, but overall was very helpful!
October 19, 2022
This book has been an inspiration to all of us in Project Management. I was amazed by the author’s ability to integrate multiple leadership skills from different authors and relate them to a project management context, adding the human component and the genuine willingness to become a leader. This book has also inspire other women that are not project managers but are in related roles in the Vacation Rental industry.
October 18, 2022
This is a really practical guide to leadership and project management. I found the book to be really accessible and easily applied to my day to day life. Anh has created a great resource for project leaders of all experience levels.
January 15, 2024
Should be required reading for any people or project leader. Lots of "uncommon" common sense packed into one tiny book.
August 19, 2024
Some parts (especially the start) were exceptional, the other parts I had to skip over.
gave-up-on-it
September 20, 2022Looking forward to this book that emphasizes how to lead from the middle (which is where much of project leadership takes place) and combines both project management and leadership into one resource. 9/20/22
October 21, 2023
First, this book is well organized, well-written and you can tell it was a labor of love.
However, it was a little too repetitive for me and the information was more basic (the author does preface this upfront so it's clear).
In my opinion, I found this book to actually be more on the memoir side.
However, it was a little too repetitive for me and the information was more basic (the author does preface this upfront so it's clear).
In my opinion, I found this book to actually be more on the memoir side.
December 10, 2022
Most of the practices in here are things we practice at my current workplace and it was a nice confirmation we're not crazy, especially the sticky notes 🤣. Enjoyable read and should be required reading for all Delivery Leads/Scrum Masters/Project Managers or whatever title they want to call themselves these days.
April 4, 2022
As one of the advance readers, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to dive into an insightful world of building a cohesive foundation. I read the book more for myself to see what I was missing when I was a Manager. The book help capture ways to engage with your team and optimize processing. How to have a productive meeting and learn to take flight in projects. Glue really help highlight my weaknesses but also pointed out ways I can improve. It amazes me how something as simple as Note Taking can be such a useful skill that many of us fail to incorporate.
I enjoyed all of Anh's example of how each process came about. It wasn't just how she learned it, but how she applied it by sharing the experiences in the industry. I've always looked for ways to better myself professional and Glue helped me fill in those missing pain points that I've neglected for many years.
"Be the Glue. Be you."
- Jimmy Nguyen
I enjoyed all of Anh's example of how each process came about. It wasn't just how she learned it, but how she applied it by sharing the experiences in the industry. I've always looked for ways to better myself professional and Glue helped me fill in those missing pain points that I've neglected for many years.
"Be the Glue. Be you."
- Jimmy Nguyen
July 8, 2022
Every project manager - and every front-line and middle manager in Corporate America - should read this book.
The PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), is described by its publisher as "a fundamental resource for effective project management in any industry" - I'd argue that Glue supplants the PMBOK as an accessible, human guide to project leadership rather than the dry technical manual that PMBOK is. (I have only read small pieces of PMBOK, and I am not a PMP or officially a project manager.)
Highly recommended!
The PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), is described by its publisher as "a fundamental resource for effective project management in any industry" - I'd argue that Glue supplants the PMBOK as an accessible, human guide to project leadership rather than the dry technical manual that PMBOK is. (I have only read small pieces of PMBOK, and I am not a PMP or officially a project manager.)
Highly recommended!
July 31, 2023
This is a tricky one: there's some excellent advice in here that should be read by all new project managers (or really, anyone involved with project work in any capacity). There's also some profoundly tone-deaf and misguided advice in the mix. I think this can be an excellent and useful guide to hands-on project management, with a few caveats. I'll do this as a good, bad, ugly:
The good:
"Glue" does an unusually good job at explaining how project work actually happens, and humanizes what can otherwise seem like a spreadsheet-management gig. There's a great focus on how to conduct conversations with team members, project sponsors, and other stakeholders, and the fully fleshed-out examples of this are gold. I'd say the entire middle section of the book is especially useful and actionable. The author does a great job of conveying how good project management is active and should involve real engagement with team members to push projects toward success, rather than being a passive order-taking endeavor. Again, some really good and useful advice for current or aspiring project managers, etc.
The bad:
Even though the book was written in the midst of the pandemic, there's a heavy focus on in-office project management, that just won't work now with hybrid teams. In the first full chapter, "The Magical Candy Bowl", the main advice for building a rapport with project team members is to go around and hand out candy or some other kind of treat. We get to doing something similar remotely, but there are no details. We just get the vague advice:
"If you have team members who work remotely, consider creating a virtual space where you can collaborate. Many teams have adopted collaboration tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams to keep conversations fluid across the team no matter where each person is located. If your team doesn't have a virtual space, seek out a tool too use and introduce one to them. Then make yourself accessible by participating actively in discussions within your virtual space."
And that's it. No further detail on what this would actually look like is included. Many of the other sections in the book are much more detailed and prescriptive, but this stuck out as an unusually thin area.
The Ugly:
I made it all the way to the final pages of this book prepared to give it a 4 or 5 star rating, but the last chapter, about "How to Make Work More Than a Project" required a reassessment. Consider how this chapter starts off:
"I work a lot. When I'm working on a big project, I am fully dedicated to its success so I do whatever it takes to get the job done. As a result, it's not uncommon for me to spend sixty hours a week working. I spend more time working than any singular other activity—I spend more time working than I do enjoying leisure time with my family, more time than on any hobby, more time than fulfilling my basic physical needs for exercise, eating, and sleeping. For something to take up that much space in my life, it has to mean a lot to me."
Full stop. I'll blame this on the book not having a dedicated editor (or at least none attributed). But: this is terrible advice unless the goal is burn out. I'll be one of the first to tell you that most work will have busy periods or times that require significant extra hours. But: it should never be the norm.
It get's much worse though: After recounting a stressful time where she survived a round of layoffs at her company, the author writes:
"I was so relived to survive. Then that evening, at 11:30 p.m. I received an unexpected call from my mom. My dad was in the hospital.
I spent the majority of the next sixteen days by my father's side in the critical care unit. In his last five days, he lost consciousness and was intubated. I was there every morning at seven and retired after eight in the evening. I abandoned a critical project at work tht was marching towards its launch and no one batted an eye. the owner of the company even sent me a message to tell me not to worry about work and to take as much time as I needed to be with my family. I did.
On Friday, January 23, 2020, my father passed away while my sister and I held his hands and sang to him.
Though I was grieving, I decided not to take any additional time off work and returned to the office the following Monday. As soon as I walked through the office doors, a friend and coworker sprinted towards me and wrappe me in her arms. She whispered, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay to be here?" I teared up and nodded slowly."
We then get a description of the author breaking down and crying at work for several weeks, even while her co-workers told her she should take some time off. The author ends the book talking about how this is an example of "grit" for her co-workers, and apparently, returning to work a day after the death of a loved one should be an inspiring model to others.
To me, that just sounds like someone having a rough time after a stressful event or a more toxic work environment than the author is revealing. Even if this was the right decision for the author, I can't imagine thinking the example I'd want to set for my team members would be 'Return to work with no bereavement leave because that's what I did.' Beyond being just awful, that sounds like a guaranteed way to get others to question why they're working at your organization in the first place.
Verdict:
Some excellent project management advice, but please skip the last chapter.
The good:
"Glue" does an unusually good job at explaining how project work actually happens, and humanizes what can otherwise seem like a spreadsheet-management gig. There's a great focus on how to conduct conversations with team members, project sponsors, and other stakeholders, and the fully fleshed-out examples of this are gold. I'd say the entire middle section of the book is especially useful and actionable. The author does a great job of conveying how good project management is active and should involve real engagement with team members to push projects toward success, rather than being a passive order-taking endeavor. Again, some really good and useful advice for current or aspiring project managers, etc.
The bad:
Even though the book was written in the midst of the pandemic, there's a heavy focus on in-office project management, that just won't work now with hybrid teams. In the first full chapter, "The Magical Candy Bowl", the main advice for building a rapport with project team members is to go around and hand out candy or some other kind of treat. We get to doing something similar remotely, but there are no details. We just get the vague advice:
"If you have team members who work remotely, consider creating a virtual space where you can collaborate. Many teams have adopted collaboration tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams to keep conversations fluid across the team no matter where each person is located. If your team doesn't have a virtual space, seek out a tool too use and introduce one to them. Then make yourself accessible by participating actively in discussions within your virtual space."
And that's it. No further detail on what this would actually look like is included. Many of the other sections in the book are much more detailed and prescriptive, but this stuck out as an unusually thin area.
The Ugly:
I made it all the way to the final pages of this book prepared to give it a 4 or 5 star rating, but the last chapter, about "How to Make Work More Than a Project" required a reassessment. Consider how this chapter starts off:
"I work a lot. When I'm working on a big project, I am fully dedicated to its success so I do whatever it takes to get the job done. As a result, it's not uncommon for me to spend sixty hours a week working. I spend more time working than any singular other activity—I spend more time working than I do enjoying leisure time with my family, more time than on any hobby, more time than fulfilling my basic physical needs for exercise, eating, and sleeping. For something to take up that much space in my life, it has to mean a lot to me."
Full stop. I'll blame this on the book not having a dedicated editor (or at least none attributed). But: this is terrible advice unless the goal is burn out. I'll be one of the first to tell you that most work will have busy periods or times that require significant extra hours. But: it should never be the norm.
It get's much worse though: After recounting a stressful time where she survived a round of layoffs at her company, the author writes:
"I was so relived to survive. Then that evening, at 11:30 p.m. I received an unexpected call from my mom. My dad was in the hospital.
I spent the majority of the next sixteen days by my father's side in the critical care unit. In his last five days, he lost consciousness and was intubated. I was there every morning at seven and retired after eight in the evening. I abandoned a critical project at work tht was marching towards its launch and no one batted an eye. the owner of the company even sent me a message to tell me not to worry about work and to take as much time as I needed to be with my family. I did.
On Friday, January 23, 2020, my father passed away while my sister and I held his hands and sang to him.
Though I was grieving, I decided not to take any additional time off work and returned to the office the following Monday. As soon as I walked through the office doors, a friend and coworker sprinted towards me and wrappe me in her arms. She whispered, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay to be here?" I teared up and nodded slowly."
We then get a description of the author breaking down and crying at work for several weeks, even while her co-workers told her she should take some time off. The author ends the book talking about how this is an example of "grit" for her co-workers, and apparently, returning to work a day after the death of a loved one should be an inspiring model to others.
To me, that just sounds like someone having a rough time after a stressful event or a more toxic work environment than the author is revealing. Even if this was the right decision for the author, I can't imagine thinking the example I'd want to set for my team members would be 'Return to work with no bereavement leave because that's what I did.' Beyond being just awful, that sounds like a guaranteed way to get others to question why they're working at your organization in the first place.
Verdict:
Some excellent project management advice, but please skip the last chapter.
September 8, 2025
Glue by Anh Dao Pham
No, I dont only read fiction books. Occasionally I read other genres, but was unsure whether or not I want to keep a record of it.
For this one though, I find it is well written because it is very simple and straight forward. It has no difficult words or complicated metaphors that would lead me thinking. It is merely a book that gets to the point.
And it just so happens I am at a point in life where I need to make some career decisions, and the path feels very complicated to me, i am unsure of my ability.
But this book reminded me of something - KISS. keep It Simple Stupid. Not everything needs to be sophisticated and complicated. As long as I know what I am doing, I believe in myself (the hard part), I should do it.
Thanks for the reminder. Hope I can make it.
#glue #projectmanagement #bookreview #audible #audiobooks #spotifyaudiobooks
No, I dont only read fiction books. Occasionally I read other genres, but was unsure whether or not I want to keep a record of it.
For this one though, I find it is well written because it is very simple and straight forward. It has no difficult words or complicated metaphors that would lead me thinking. It is merely a book that gets to the point.
And it just so happens I am at a point in life where I need to make some career decisions, and the path feels very complicated to me, i am unsure of my ability.
But this book reminded me of something - KISS. keep It Simple Stupid. Not everything needs to be sophisticated and complicated. As long as I know what I am doing, I believe in myself (the hard part), I should do it.
Thanks for the reminder. Hope I can make it.
#glue #projectmanagement #bookreview #audible #audiobooks #spotifyaudiobooks
October 13, 2025
Anh shared practical tips in her book on how one can contribute to a successful project delivery and form a high performing team. There are little nuggets of wisdom all over the book, which inspire me to condense them into a page to share with anyone. The summary of tips at the end of each chapter is well-appreciated. What sets this book apart from other leadership books is — I feel like listening to a TED talk / podcast / lecture by Anh, one that is informative and based on her lived experience.
September 23, 2022
Structured in a really easy to digest format and full of tons of great tips
May 7, 2025
Some good tips on building a team and keeping things running smoothly.
September 17, 2023
Being an administrator of a high school, we don’t necessarily have projects, but this book gives good guidance on how I May work with the departments I supervise. Very good reading here.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews