Glue. A book for every new and seasoned project manager.

Glue is the book I wish I had 15 years ago when I first started doing project management. Anh Dao Pham demonstrates that the need in the project world is less on the "management", but more on leadership.

The first several chapters may decieve the reader as some kind of primer for beginning project managers. She talks about topics like note taking and meeting minutes and it would be easy to dismiss the book just because those seem like basic skills. But then the book deepens into skills that are intended to grow leadership. A leadership framework emerges with discussions about synthesis thinking and alignment. And soon, the discussion begins to be transformative.

There are three elements to her book that I want to draw out for you.

Leadership

I would give this book probably four and a half out of five stars. I do think this book is very important especially for new project managers. And what's really important, if anything, is the introduction. In the introduction she shares a conversation she had with her husband. Her husband is interviewing candidates to fill a role and "None responded with the initiative to deliver."

Anh continues:

This year, I've spoken to several leaders in my network at tech companies in Los Angeles. They all have project managers on staff but struggle to get things done. They refer to their project managers as "clipboard managers", "well versed in theory", "good at following a process" but not effective at ultimately delivering projects. They yearn for a breed of people who are more hands-on, more assertive, more adaptable - those who can drive a project to completion.

Indeed. And this needs to be you.

Introverts

From the beginning pages, Anh describes herself as an introvert. Through her stories you will see that Anh is not passive. She is a leader. This should an encouragement to those project managers who are introverts as well. Introvert or Extrovert you can be a leader. And Anh shows a way.

You, as a project manager, can transform into a project leader. And you as a an introvert, can develop the skills to make an impact and become a leader in your organization.

Wisdom

Three or four times throughout the book she uses the word wisdom.

Wisdom is a word we don't often use.

And wisdom is needed in project management.

I think it's important because a lot of project managers get stuck. It is hard to pin down the exact stat, but roughly 40% of projects fail. One reason: organizations shuffle project managers into the corner where they become bureaucrats. They get stuck just pushing paper, changing dates. Moving Gantt charts. Writing status reports. Being a paper pusher doesn't require much wisdom. Knowledge, yes, but not much wisdom. As you break out of that mold and become more of a project leader wisdom is necessaary.

One of the things I love about this book is that it doesn't present a methodology. She doesn't say this is the A to Z way to do project management. Nor is it "Follow this formula and you will be a success". No. What she does is focus in on a skill in each chapter. And each skill is essentially a tool. She tells you how to employ that tool given your context. And I think that perspective is far more valuable and helpful to project managers than any thing else.

Glue

By Anh Dao Pham