The Partnership Playbook: Lead with Clarity, Create Leverage & Reclaim Time

Phil Hayes-St Clair
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Management
  • Updated Twice Weekly

Helping leaders grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and bring real meaning to their teams. The Partnership Playbook is for CEOs, founders, and go-to-market leaders who want to grow without noise, scale without burnout, and build partnerships that actually matter. You’ll hear clear thinking on: - How to become a great CEO - How distribution, supply chain, and product partnerships create resilience - How leaders use partnerships to simplify strategy, not add more work Hosted by Phil Hayes-St Clair - CEO coach and partnerships advisor with 20+ years of experience across healthcare, biotech, aerospace, and eCommerce. Each episode blends practical insight with leadership reflection you can actually apply. New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, including: - A weekly partnership episode - A weekly leadership episode - A long-form CEO conversation If you’re looking to grow with intent, lead with confidence, and build something your team believes in—you’re in the right place. Start anywhere. Stay for the clarity. Learn more at philhsc.com Know a great future guest? Send them here: philhsc.com/expression-of-interest

  1. 223: RE-RELEASE CEO Martin Herbst on leading team and navigating Go-To-Market strategy in changing markets

    1 day ago

    223: RE-RELEASE CEO Martin Herbst on leading team and navigating Go-To-Market strategy in changing markets

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com What happens when you treat GTM partnerships like internal rituals not just external deals? In this episode, JobAdder CEO Martin Herbst shares how to lead with trust, simplify strategy, and build partnerships that actually scale. Here’s what you’ll learn: Why internal partnerships must come before external onesHow to avoid complexity and accelerate value in partner dealsThe discipline of saying “no” to grow the right way Martin and Phil break down actionable frameworks, partnership psychology, and growth tactics that work in the real world. 🎧 Listen to unlock how partnership becomes your best bet for sustainable growth. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    57 min
  2. 222. How to build a GTM strategy that holds in a downturn

    3 days ago

    222. How to build a GTM strategy that holds in a downturn

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com ABOUT THIS EPISODE What happens to your GTM motion when budgets freeze and buying cycles suddenly stretch? The strongest commercial teams don't wait for the market to improve—they reinforce the parts of their GTM motion that keep revenue moving regardless of conditions. Discover why downturns expose weaknesses in commercial systems, not just sales execution.Learn the two parts of your GTM motion that deserve reinforcement before market conditions deteriorate.Leave with a practical framework to refocus your team's effort on activities that create qualified conversations and consistently move deals forward. Listen now, then review every commercial initiative against one question: does it strengthen pipeline creation or deal progression? The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    9 min
  3. 221. How CEOs lead when certainty disappears

    5 days ago

    221. How CEOs lead when certainty disappears

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com ABOUT THIS EPISODE What if the greatest risk to your strategy isn't being wrong—but being too certain? In a world shaped by tariffs, supply chain disruption, geopolitical conflict and constant volatility, the CEO's job isn't to predict the next shock—it's to build a business that can absorb it. In this episode you'll discover: Why resilient strategy is fundamentally different from accurate forecasting.A simple five-question Pressure Test to expose hidden assumptions before they become vulnerabilities.How to build confidence with your board, leadership team and investors without pretending you can predict an unpredictable world. Listen now and pressure-test your strategy against volatility—rather than trying to forecast it away. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    11 min
  4. 220: RE-RELEASE FlightStory’s Georgie Holt on leadership, obsession, and the long hard path

    26 June

    220: RE-RELEASE FlightStory’s Georgie Holt on leadership, obsession, and the long hard path

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com What if growth isn’t about better ideas—but better choices? Most leaders chase shortcuts—faster growth, easier wins, predictable playbooks. But real growth, especially through partnership, doesn’t work like that. In this episode, Georgie Holt, CEO at Flightstory, home of the second largest podcast in the world, Diary of the CEO, breaks down what actually separates good from exceptional—and why most people quit before it compounds. You’ll learn: How consistent decision-making drives long-term partnership growthWhy obsession—not balance—is often the real differentiatorHow to build a culture that sustains high-performance growth If you’re serious about building meaningful partnerships and sustainable growth, this episode will challenge how you think and act. 👉 Listen now to rethink how growth really happens. Connect with Georgie on LinkedIn The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    59 min
  5. 219. Before buying another AI tool, ask these 3 questions

    24 June

    219. Before buying another AI tool, ask these 3 questions

    Get the Partnership Kickstart: In less that 30 minutes learn how to identify your best partnership opportunity, start the right conversations, and close deals. Visit philhsc.com/close-better-deals ABOUT THIS EPISODE Can this AI tool genuinely improve how we sell, or are we just being shown a very impressive demo? AI sales tools are arriving faster than most GTM teams can properly evaluate them, making it harder than ever to distinguish real leverage from expensive novelty. Learn the three questions that reveal whether an AI tool will actually change commercial outcomes.Discover why behaviour change matters more than product capability.Use the Leverage Filter to evaluate AI investments with greater confidence and discipline. Listen now and strengthen your buying filter before your next AI vendor demo. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    11 min
  6. 218. The AI question most leadership teams are missing

    22 June

    218. The AI question most leadership teams are missing

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com ABOUT THIS EPISODE When someone says, "We need an AI strategy," are they talking about a tool decision or a business design decision? Many leadership teams are treating those as the same conversation—and that's creating expensive mistakes. In this episode, Phil explores: Why AI adoption and business transformation are fundamentally different leadership decisionsHow to tell whether AI is improving your operations or changing where your company creates valueA simple framework—Tool, Process, Model—to identify which challenge you're actually facing Before your next AI discussion, ask: Does AI change where this business creates value? The answer will tell you whether you're optimising the company you have or redesigning the company you need. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    11 min
  7. 217. CEO Dan Pallister-Coward on turning organisations around: How values, relationships and partnerships create lasting impact

    19 June

    217. CEO Dan Pallister-Coward on turning organisations around: How values, relationships and partnerships create lasting impact

    Get the CEO Leadership Collection: Five curated conversations in a private podcast, each under ten minutes, on the decisions and pressures that define the role. Visit listentophil.com ABOUT THIS EPISODE: What separates organizations that thrive through disruption from those that struggle to adapt? In this conversation, Wellington Free Ambulance CEO Dan Pallister-Coward shares hard-earned lessons from emergency services leadership, Christchurch earthquake recovery, health sector transformation, and community reintegration programs. You'll discover:How great leaders drive growth by helping people understand the "why" behind change.Why partnership is the bridge between good intentions and meaningful outcomes.The leadership habits that build trust, resilience, and long-term organizational growth. If you're leading a team, building a business, or navigating change, this episode offers practical wisdom you can apply immediately. Listen to discover how leadership, partnership, and growth combine to create lasting impact. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    55 min
  8. 216. Human selling in the AI era: What's actually changed?

    17 June

    216. Human selling in the AI era: What's actually changed?

    Get the Partnership Kickstart: In less that 30 minutes learn how to identify your best partnership opportunity, start the right conversations, and close deals. Visit philhsc.com/close-better-deals ABOUT THIS EPISODE If AI can now do so much of what salespeople used to do, where does human value actually come from? In this episode, Phil explores what has genuinely changed in sales, where AI creates leverage, and why trust, judgment, and insight are becoming more valuable rather than less. Why the biggest AI shift isn't persuasion — it's preparationThe new commercial advantage created by judgment when information becomes abundantA simple framework for deciding what to automate and what to protect Listen now and redraw the line between task execution and trust creation in your sales process. The Partnership Playbook is the podcast for leaders who want to grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and lead their teams with meaning. Each episode gives you practical insights drawn from two decades of building and backing companies, coaching CEOs, and closing high-value partnerships across industries. You’ll learn how to scale yourself as a leader, choose partners that help you grow faster, and turn trust, alignment, and first wins into momentum that lasts. PS - Have a CEO guest recommendation for the show? Share this link with them.

    12 min
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5
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13 Ratings

About

Helping leaders grow with clarity, create leverage through partnerships, and bring real meaning to their teams. The Partnership Playbook is for CEOs, founders, and go-to-market leaders who want to grow without noise, scale without burnout, and build partnerships that actually matter. You’ll hear clear thinking on: - How to become a great CEO - How distribution, supply chain, and product partnerships create resilience - How leaders use partnerships to simplify strategy, not add more work Hosted by Phil Hayes-St Clair - CEO coach and partnerships advisor with 20+ years of experience across healthcare, biotech, aerospace, and eCommerce. Each episode blends practical insight with leadership reflection you can actually apply. New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, including: - A weekly partnership episode - A weekly leadership episode - A long-form CEO conversation If you’re looking to grow with intent, lead with confidence, and build something your team believes in—you’re in the right place. Start anywhere. Stay for the clarity. Learn more at philhsc.com Know a great future guest? Send them here: philhsc.com/expression-of-interest

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