How do you handle when your boss is new to product management, indecisive and generally isn't sure how to proceed? They rely heavily on contractors & general scrum frameworks. I have significantly more experience than them & I get they are basically having leadership tell them all the things to do.

They think product management is basically being a scrum product owner. So lots of evaluating how we organize sprints, team velocity, etc. Priorities are piling up and they can't all be done at once

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Honestly, it’s tricky. When your boss is new to product and sees it mostly through the lens of scrum and velocity, it can feel like the real product work — prioritization, strategy, customer understanding — gets lost. In my case, I focus on leading from the side. I try to bring clarity by suggesting frameworks like Now/Next/Later or simple impact-effort mapping to guide prioritization without stepping on toes.

I’ve learned to coach gently by offering support, like saying, “Hey, I’ve seen this before — want me to mock up a quick priorities doc?” It helps reposition me as a thought partner rather than someone challenging authority.

I also try to protect the team from chaos when priorities are unclear, and in convos with leadership, I’ll ask more strategic questions to bring the focus back to outcomes instead of just output.

It’s not ideal, but you can still lead even without the title — just takes some patience and subtle influence.

Let me know if you need more

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