Are you a player or the grounds crew? Which do you prefer your manager to be? John and Nate dive into a LinkedIn post that divided them on what leadership actually means. John argues leaders should focus on building environments where people can succeed—you prep the field, not play the game. Nate pushes back, making the case for player-coaches who lead by example and can still do the work as well as anyone else.

The conversation gets personal as they explore what actually motivates people: Do you want a leader who sets perfect conditions for you to succeed, or one who can jump in and show you how it's done? From Pete Rose to Taylor Swift (yes, really), they unpack different leadership styles and what drives high performance.

Plus: John shares his "lethal when given space" philosophy, Nate reveals why seeing his mentor's messaging work still inspires him, and they both grapple with whether AI is making teams faster or just spinning gears that don't connect.

Whether you're managing people, being managed, or just trying to figure out what good leadership looks like in product roles, this episode will make you question what you actually want from the people above you—and what you should be giving the people below you.

Also featuring: Wisconsin music connections and power grid management as a surprisingly interesting career.

New Episodes every Tuesday

Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

John and Nate flip the script from their earlier "features" episode to explore purchases driven purely by brand loyalty and reputation. From Nate's NASA-approved Omega Speedmaster to John's Sonos soundbar impulse buy, they examine when brand trumps functionality.

The hosts dig into the psychology behind brand-based purchasing decisions, debating whether Apple's ecosystem counts as "brand" or something else entirely. They explore examples ranging from gas station spectacles like Buc-ee's to premium knife purchases that didn't quite live up to expectations.

Key topics:

• The difference between buying for brand vs. ecosystem integration
• When brand purchases pay off (and when they don't)
• How manufacturing consolidation affects perceived brand differences
• Apple's ecosystem lock-in strategy across devices

Plus: Lessons learned about AI adoption hitting buyer's remorse phase, the hidden world of Taiwanese bike manufacturing, and why John owns two identical band saws.

New Episodes every Tuesday

Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

How has AI changed the day-to-day reality of product marketing? Nate and John dive into the real-world impact of generative AI tools on PMM workflows—from accelerating content creation to becoming an unexpected "strategic thinking partner."

In this episode, Nate shares how he's using Claude to synthesize analyst research, create SWOT analyses in minutes instead of hours, and even get coaching on difficult conversations by feeding in call transcripts. But is AI making product marketers obsolete, or just forcing teams to work faster?

Topics covered:

• How AI is reshaping product marketing workflows
• The hybrid approach: human-written foundations + AI acceleration
• Using AI for competitive analysis and strategic planning
• Will PMM teams shrink as AI capabilities grow?
• The expectation to move faster in an AI-forward organization

New Episodes every Tuesday

Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod