The Partnership Playbook: Lead with Clarity, Partner for Leverage, Reclaim Time

Phil Hayes-St Clair
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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

  1. 149. Holding space in grief

    12/15/2025

    149. Holding space in grief

    My thoughts on leading in light of the devastating events at Bondi Beach in Australia on 14 December 2025. Learn more at philhsc.com

    8 min
  2. 148. CEO Damon Lembi on how to build growth partnerships that don’t break at scale

    12/12/2025

    148. CEO Damon Lembi on how to build growth partnerships that don’t break at scale

    Are you building partnerships that actually work or just deals that eventually die? Damon Lembi, CEO of Learnit, shares 30+ years of lessons from growing a 2-million-learner business and surviving the dot-com bust. In this episode:  Learn the “Ideal” framework to pressure-test any partnershipDiscover the biggest growth mistake Damon made—and how he’d fix itReframe training as your most powerful revenue unlock, not a cost Listen now to reimagine how partnerships and growth really scale. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    54 min
  3. 147. How to move from suppressing to regulating emotions as a CEO

    12/10/2025

    147. How to move from suppressing to regulating emotions as a CEO

    Are you leading from presence or from a body that’s in quiet panic while you hold the room together? Most CEOs underestimate the emotional load of leadership. This episode reframes emotional steadiness as an executive skill, not a personality trait, and gives you the tools to build it. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Use breath, grounding, and cognitive tools to regulate your emotional state in real timeIdentify emotional triggers before they appear so you can stay ahead of escalationSeparate facts from the stories your nervous system creates under pressure If you want to lead with more clarity, consistency, and emotional steadiness—and set the tone for company-wide growth and leadership—press play and step into the version of you your team already believes in. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    11 min
  4. 146. What happens when GTM, Product & Partnerships finally speak the same language

    12/09/2025

    146. What happens when GTM, Product & Partnerships finally speak the same language

    What would happen to your company’s growth engine if GTM, Product and Partnerships finally spoke the same language? Most companies struggle because their core functions operate on different maps, different clocks, and different definitions of success. This episode gives GTM leaders the clarity and structure to unify the business, restore operational calm, and accelerate growth and leadership maturity. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Build a shared operating system that aligns GTM, Product, and Partnerships around one North StarCreate a unified customer journey and ownership model that removes friction and increases execution speedEstablish a rhythm and language that transforms cross-functional chaos into predictable, confident growth   If you’re a GTM leader who wants to drive growth with more clarity and more leadership control, listen to this episode and reshape how your company moves. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    9 min
  5. 145. How Martin Herbst thinks about go-to-market strategy and partnerships in an ecosystem-driven world

    12/05/2025

    145. How Martin Herbst thinks about go-to-market strategy and partnerships in an ecosystem-driven world

    What happens when you treat 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. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    56 min
  6. 144. How CEOs can help develop their leaders

    12/03/2025

    144. How CEOs can help develop their leaders

    What happens to growth when your business scales faster than the leaders running it? Every CEO eventually feels it: managers who were strong at 10 people struggle at 30, directors quietly absorb pressure they don’t want to reveal, and culture begins to crack under the weight of rising expectations. Leadership doesn’t automatically scale just because the company does and ignoring that gap slows growth more than any external threat. In this episode: Learn how to identify when your leadership team is stallingUnderstand the three levers CEOs must pull to accelerate leadership growthWalk away with a practical framework to lift your leaders to the next altitude Listen to learn how leadership growth becomes the engine of sustainable growth and resilient leadership. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    12 min
  7. 143. How GTM leaders can reverse slowing growth

    12/01/2025

    143. How GTM leaders can reverse slowing growth

    What if slowing growth isn’t a market issue but a system issue inside your GTM motion? This episode breaks down the four symptoms slowing your revenue momentum and gives you simple, practical ways to regain clarity, control, and confidence. Build a pipeline based on truth, not hopeRemove buyer risk faster than you add valueUse partners to restore momentum and accelerate growth Your next level of growth and leadership starts by removing motion masquerading as progress. Listen to the episode to reset your team’s rhythm and create leverage fast. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    12 min

  8. 11/28/2025

    142. What most founders get wrong about partnerships

    What if your biggest growth unlock was… gratitude? In this episode, David Homan shares how relationship orchestration, not transactions, is the core ingredient to partnership growth. You’ll learn:  How to turn relationships into non-linear growth enginesA 5-principle framework that outperforms traditional networkingThe biggest mistake people make after saying thank you (and how to fix it) 🎧 If you're building anything with or through people, this conversation is non-negotiable. New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. More from Phil Hayes-St Clair: Subscribe to the Wednesday Partnership Newsletter (and get immediate access to my Frameworks Vault) Find me 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.

    46 min
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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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