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해봄의 아카이브
A defense for Product Managers
Haebom
Yesterday , I filmed a video that was almost an excuse for PM . Actually, I recently had the opportunity to meet with junior planners through a series of coaching sessions. I was surprised by their work environment, their scope of work, and their concerns about upgrading their skills by taking classes in the adult education market for hundreds of thousands of won. So, I decided to film it. As I was writing, I got a little emotional... Well, I shared the video in a few group chats, and some people asked me: Why are planners' salaries in Korea lower than other occupations? If anyone knows the answer, please let me know. I really don't know.
📊 Korea vs. Abroad: What's the Difference?
Comparing PM job descriptions from renowned international companies like Meta, Google, and OpenAI with PM job postings from Korean companies reveals some truly interesting differences.
Hard Skill Comparison
Common parts:
•
Data analysis
•
Establishing a roadmap
•
Market research
Characteristics of Korea:
Many requirements seem to fall under the purview of CEOs or designers, such as KPI performance measurement and UX/UI design . This gives the impression that PMs are being overburdened with too many tasks.
Many requirements seem to fall under the purview of CEOs or designers, such as KPI performance measurement and UX/UI design . This gives the impression that PMs are being overburdened with too many tasks.
Overseas features:
We focus on user-centric product development and experiences.
We focus on user-centric product development and experiences.
Comparing soft skills
Clear communication skills and leadership are common, but while Korea emphasizes a 'balance between business and customer value,' overseas countries tend to focus more on a 'user-centered mindset. '
Overseas, product managers focus on the product itself, while product owners take ownership of the business goals and the product as a whole. In Korea, on the other hand, product owners tend to be perceived as the leaders of project managers.
In conclusion, it seems there's a "culture of looking down on planners" in Korea. Planners are often portrayed as having a hard time and taking on a ton of miscellaneous tasks outside of their regular duties.
💰 The Inconvenient Truth About the Pay Gap
In San Francisco, the average annual salary for a product manager is at least $170,000 (approximately 230 million won) . Even considering that the cost of living in Seoul is 1.7 times higher, PM salaries in Korea tend to be significantly lower than those for developers or designers.
I believe that people should be paid according to the amount of work they do, and I believe there's a lot of gaslighting going on among PMs. The culture of "PMs are inherently difficult" and "It's natural to have a lot of chores" really needs to change.
🎓 Million-dollar lectures? Do you really need them?
Recently, I've been seeing a lot of paid PM-related courses, but they cost millions of won. I believe these courses are unnecessary.
Coursera offers PM courses taught by experts from leading companies like Microsoft and Google, with subtitles, for free. It begs the question: why bother with expensive, paid courses?
More importantly, theoretical learning alone cannot replace practical experience . Even Pinterest founder Ben Silverman met customers directly, gathered feedback, and improved his products.
🚀 8 Realistic Tips for Becoming a Real PM
So, how can you become a good PM? Based on my practical experience, I've summarized the most important points.
1. Release is everything
Launch a great product. Everything you do is a means to that end.
If you want to make your users happy, keep your team employed, and get promoted, you need to release now. PMs are "focus arbiters." Help your team focus on the release.
Sometimes you'll release a product that isn't perfect. That's okay. Improve incrementally, and break down releases into smaller chunks to mitigate the impact of mistakes. It's much faster to create a great product through iteration than to think about it.
In fact, one CLI tool project took less than three months from planning to release. Critical issues were resolved just hours before release, and many features we wanted to include were abandoned. However, competition forced us to move quickly, and the result was a resounding success.
2. Help people yearn for the vast ocean.
"If you want to build a ship, don't teach people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and boundless sea." - Saint-Exupéry
If launching is your first priority, inspiring people is your second . Don't start with tactics.
Inspired people will work much faster, harder, and more focused than simply throwing a PRD over the wall and telling them to implement a list of compliance regulations.
For example, imagine a glorious future where the Department of Education lifts security restrictions and your product empowers millions of underprivileged students across the country. Sometimes, you have to do the dirty work to achieve beautiful things!
3. Use the product daily.
I'm sorry, but I don't know any other way to succeed.
If you don't use your product every day, you'll miss out on important issues and areas for improvement. Someone else is competing with you, using their product every day, and they'll win. One team had a principle: "We only release what we use and love." The criterion for release was "Do we use and love it?"
Actually, I learned this from Ipari when I was at Nexon . He always said that if you don't make the game yourself, it's hard to understand from a user's perspective how valuable a certain enhancement is, or how rare an item or skill is. In fact, when working on game QA or development, I often briefly try out the game in operator mode just to check the functionality, but then I lose interest and often stop playing. This was a huge learning experience for me.
Some people believe that user research can replace the daily experience of using a product. Research is important, but it's not everything. Get your hands dirty and try it out yourself. That way, you can develop much more intuition.
4. Be a good friend
The most important lesson no one ever taught me about long-term success is that you have to make friends along the way. If you're not making friends, you're doing something wrong.
I hate the word "networking." It sounds forced and fake. But you need to be friendly and genuine, and make friends who will support you throughout your career.
Even introverts can make friends. Just be helpful, friendly, and trustworthy. Over time, friendships will develop naturally.
5. Give more than you receive.
Part of being a good friend is always giving more than you receive. When someone asks for help, help them.
I end almost every one-on-one meeting with the same question: "What can I do to make your life better?"
When someone approaches you, choose collaboratively. Be constructive in discussions. Remember the "yes, and" of improvisation. Look for the positive in what people say at work and see what you can add to it.
The best strategy in life is collaboration. Sometimes people might steal your ideas and not give you credit. But as one senior developer said, "I like it when people steal my ideas. It means I've helped the world."
6. Use the correct lever
When something needs to be completed, you need to find the precise mechanism to get it done. Is it a bug? Is it documentation? Who specifically needs to approve it, and what will make them approve it? It's not just about writing meeting minutes. As I mentioned in the video, AI services are now starting to take care of all the meeting minutes.
Everyone has opinions about life. Some of them are good. But the best kind of good is the kind that's out there. When you need approval, seek out the right people. Those people don't always have high levels or the right titles.
7. Go only to places that add value.
Be like water and fill every gap. Find every gap and fill it. But that's not necessary in every situation. Connect with the right people and eliminate the middleman (you). Being the go-to person for everything inevitably leads to a hectic schedule. Sometimes, you need to help your colleagues figure out what to focus on. Most of the time, you'll have to do things no one wants to do.
•
Be the only one reading user feedback for years
•
Complete the first document
•
Providing field data for research teams
Conversely, you should avoid places that don't add value. If there's a meeting that doesn't add value, don't attend. If you're in a team that doesn't recognize you, you should leave. Time is the most precious thing.
8. Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.
If a product launch succeeds, everyone gets credit. If it fails? It's your fault. It's unfair, but that's the reality.
When creating a product, you must always be extremely vigilant about doing the right thing.
•
What is success?
•
What is the right product to succeed?
•
Who are the users?
•
What will they do with it?
You don't have to solve every problem, but you do have to elevate those with solutions and make sure the right ideas win.
🌊 Real experiences make you
Experience with millions or even hundreds of millions of traffic units at large companies like Naver, Kakao, Line, Coupang, Baedal Minjok, Carrot Market, and Toss, as well as at high-traffic startups, is invaluable. This provides practical experience, such as funnel analysis, not only to developers but also to project managers.
Simply going to a company because it's famous is pointless. You need to choose a place where you can truly experience "dynamic and meaningful traffic." This experience can significantly change your career and is far more beneficial than attending useless lectures.
🙏 Sincere support to PMs
I sincerely support all planners (PMs).
There are two key points:
1.
That planners should not be looked down upon
2.
There is no need for the planner himself to be intimidated or become an all-rounder.
I think words like "hard worker" and "hexagonal talent" are just making people sick. Don't get caught in a vicious cycle of anxiety → obsession → depression → anxiety .
I believe some companies in the adult education market are fueling this anxiety. I hope our society can move forward together without causing stress to one another.
The job of PM is complex and challenging, but it's also meaningful and valuable.
You are doing a good job.
If this article was helpful, don't look for expensive courses; instead, start by actually using the product and talking to users. That's the most important first step.
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I post articles related to IT 💻, economy 💰, and humanities 🎭.
If you are curious about my thoughts, perspectives or interests, please subscribe.
haebom@kakao.com
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I post articles related to IT 💻, economy 💰, and humanities 🎭.
If you are curious about my thoughts, perspectives or interests, please subscribe.
haebom@kakao.com
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Brendan_Moon
혜안입니다!
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3Xy2mM
너무 감사한 글이네요
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