I enjoyed Alexis’s and Adrienne’s article on how product managers should NOT be the glue between “engineering, design, and sales”. I think they make some great points. I thought I’d quickly respond with a proposal for what the product team’s glue should be: clear business motivation. Business motivation as defined by the Object Management Group, is a term that encompasses vision, goals, and strategy. If you want everyone on the team pulling in the same direction, you as a product manager should work with them to define the product’s business motivation and get a commitment from them to help execute it. In this sense, you are fulfilling your strategic role on the team without perpetually trying to fill white space at the operational level. I’ll be updating a blog post soon on the importance of great business motivation. Stay tuned!