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

Phil Hayes-St Clair
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Management
  • Semiweekly

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. 11h ago

    254. The CEO’s guide on how to listen more effectively and avoid missing out on important insights with expert Julian Treasure

    This episode is brought to you by the CEO Room. Six weeks, six CEOs, working through the confidential decisions that keep you up at night. Each week pairs a private session with Phil and a class session where one CEO brings their hardest problem to the group. When the six weeks end, your class keeps meeting monthly as part of the alumni membership, with access to Phil between calls and priority invitations to the annual CEO retreat. Applications for the next class are open now. Visit listentophil.com to book a call. What if your biggest leadership risk is the information nobody is telling you? As leaders become more senior, something unexpected can happen: they become worse listeners. And when people stop bringing you bad news, challenging your assumptions or telling you what they really think, your ability to lead growth starts to suffer. In this episode of the Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair welcomes back communication expert Julian Treasure for a powerful conversation about leadership, listening and the human skills behind successful partnership growth. You'll discover how to: Identify your leadership blind spots using Julian's simple but revealing "bad news test".Reduce conflict and accelerate alignment using PAVE, a practical framework for handling disagreement.Build stronger teams and partnerships through deliberate listening, better questions and more effective communication. Whether you're a CEO, founder or growth leader, this conversation challenges how you think about one of your most important leadership capabilities. Explore Julian Treasure's work and resources: Julian Treasure's website: https://www.juliantreasure.com/Master Conscious Communication, Julian's platform for developing listening, speaking and presenting skills: https://www.juliantreasure.com/master-conscious-communication Listen to the episode and discover three practical changes you can make to become a leader people genuinely want to communicate with. 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.

    254. The CEO’s guide on how to listen more effectively and avoid missing out on important insights with expert Julian Treasure

  2. 5d ago

    253. Why CEOs delay an executive exit and how to keep momentum going 90 days after the announcement

    This episode is brought to you by the CEO Room. Six weeks, six CEOs, working through the confidential decisions that keep you up at night. Each week pairs a private session with Phil and a class session where one CEO brings their hardest problem to the group. When the six weeks end, your class keeps meeting monthly as part of the alumni membership, with access to Phil between calls and priority invitations to the annual CEO retreat. Applications for the next class are open now. Visit listentophil.com to book a call. Who is the senior leader you've known needs to leave for three months — and what's really stopping you? For many CEOs, the hardest part of a senior executive departure isn't the conversation — it's the operational gap they expect to open the next morning. In this episode, Phil Hayes-St Clair explores: Why CEOs can carry an unresolved leadership decision for months while quietly compensating for the performance gap.How to use a practical 90-day bridge — Stabilise, Transfer, Rebuild — to protect decisions, customer relationships and executive capacity.How planning for continuity creates the confidence to lead a difficult transition fairly and deliberately. Listen to learn how to design the 90 days after a senior exit so the uncertainty about what follows no longer prevents you from acting. 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.

    253. Why CEOs delay an executive exit and how to keep momentum going 90 days after the announcement

  3. Oct 15

    252. How CEOs restore momentum when revenue is behind

    This episode is brought to you by the CEO Room. Six weeks, six CEOs, working through the confidential decisions that keep you up at night. Each week pairs a private session with Phil and a class session where one CEO brings their hardest problem to the group. When the six weeks end, your class keeps meeting monthly as part of the alumni membership, with access to Phil between calls and priority invitations to the annual CEO retreat. Applications for the next class are open now. Visit listentophil.com to book a call. When you ask about the revenue gap on Monday, does your team leave with a clear action — or another explanation? When revenue targets look out of reach, CEOs can unintentionally turn accountability into a conversation about defending the number rather than improving the inputs that drive it. In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair explores how to: Separate the revenue result from the inputs your team can actually control.Use the Friday Test to identify the real constraint and agree on one actionable commitment.Rebuild GTM strategy, incentives and pipeline discipline around what the evidence says will move revenue. Listen before your next leadership meeting and discover how one better question can turn revenue pressure into meaningful progress. 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.

    252. How CEOs restore momentum when revenue is behind

  4. Oct 2

    251. Rugby Captain Emily Chancellor on talent, belonging and pursuing team excellence

    This episode is brought to you by the CEO Room. Six weeks, six CEOs, working through the confidential decisions that keep you up at night. Each week pairs a private session with Phil and a class session where one CEO brings their hardest problem to the group. When the six weeks end, your class keeps meeting monthly as part of the alumni membership, with access to Phil between calls and priority invitations to the annual CEO retreat. Applications for the next class are open now. Visit listentophil.com to book a call. What if the strongest leaders aren’t the loudest but the ones who make trying feel safe? Wallaroos and Waratahs leader Emily Chancellor has spent her career performing in environments where standards are high, pressure is real and trust matters. Her philosophy offers a powerful lesson for anyone responsible for people, partnership and growth: belonging isn’t about lowering expectations. It’s about building an environment where people are willing to stretch toward them. In this conversation, discover how to: Build high-performance cultures without sacrificing humanity or belonging.Use vulnerability, consistency and small acts of connection to strengthen trust.Create growth by making ambition, experimentation and “trying” socially safe. Listen to discover why your environment may be one of the biggest growth levers you control. 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.

    251. Rugby Captain Emily Chancellor on talent, belonging and pursuing team excellence

  5. Sep 22

    250. Why capable teams still move too slowly

    This episode is brought to you by the CEO Room. Six weeks, six CEOs, working through the confidential decisions that keep you up at night. Each week pairs a private session with Phil and a class session where one CEO brings their hardest problem to the group. When the six weeks end, your class keeps meeting monthly as part of the alumni membership, with access to Phil between calls and priority invitations to the annual CEO retreat. Applications for the next class are open now. Visit listentophil.com to book a call. What if your team isn’t slow — what if they’re waiting for you? When a business can’t move at market speed, the problem may not be urgency or capability; it may be that too many decisions are queuing for the CEO. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to spot where decisions are really waiting — and why the queue often leads back to the CEO’s calendar.Why delegation without clear boundaries transfers uncertainty instead of creating speed.How to use the Find, Frame, Free model to distribute authority without losing confidence or control. Look at the last ten working days, find one recurring decision that didn’t genuinely need you, and redesign it so it never has to wait for you again. 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.

    250. Why capable teams still move too slowly

  6. Sep 11

    249. Dr Ginni Mansberg on women's longevity, leadership and saving your brain

    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 high-performing leaders suddenly stop feeling like themselves? This conversation with Dr Ginni Mansberg explores an under-discussed leadership challenge: midlife health can affect confidence, productivity, career decisions and the ability of experienced women to remain in senior roles. Understand why retaining midlife women is both a leadership issue and an economic growth opportunity.Learn how colleagues and partners can support rather than inadvertently take control.Discover how stronger workplace partnership can protect talent, institutional knowledge and team performance. Listen for a practical conversation about leadership, health and creating the conditions for people and organisations to sustain growth. Learn more about: The Women's Longevity HandbookSaving Your Brain 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.

    249. Dr Ginni Mansberg on women's longevity, leadership and saving your brain

  7. Sep 9

    248. The standard you didn't mean to set (and how to resolve it)

    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 When was the last time you were short with someone at work, and who else was in the room? Culture isn't set in the values session, it's set in the worst week of the quarter, in the moment you weren't planning to be watched. This episode breaks down why the repair costs less than the drift it prevents, and how to make it before it quietly becomes how things are done. Why a single sharp moment can outweigh a year of offsites and values statementsThe difference between a private apology and a public repair that actually resets the standardA two-week practice for leaders who can't yet see their own pattern under pressure Listen now, then go find the person who saw it. 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.

    248. The standard you didn't mean to set (and how to resolve it)

  8. Sep 7

    247. The one ratio that explains why decisions in your business slow down

    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 How many of the people who work for you have been there less than twelve months? A fast hiring period buys you speed, and it borrows against your culture to pay for it. The repayment arrives about eighteen months later as slower decisions, softer standards and good people quietly inventing their own way of working. The one ratio that tells you how much culture debt you're carrying, and the threshold where proximity stops teaching your standardsWhy decision speed is the first thing to go, and why your calendar fills with arbitrationWhat to do on Monday, including the agenda change most leaders resist in a growth year Work out your ratio before your next leadership meeting, then decide whether standards go ahead of strategy. 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.

    247. The one ratio that explains why decisions in your business slow down
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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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