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

Phil Hayes-St Clair
  • 5.0 (1)
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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. 206. The four-pillar infrastructure behind long-term CEOs

    11H AGO

    206. The four-pillar infrastructure behind long-term CEOs

    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 actually allows a CEO to lead well for ten years without slowly eroding underneath the pressure? This episode explores why long-term resilience at the CEO level is not about burnout prevention or recovery; it’s about building the psychological and physical architecture capable of sustaining leadership over a decade. The four pillars that determine sustainable CEO performance: physical baseline, thinking environment, relational anchors, and purpose beyond the businessWhy most resilience advice fails under pressure because it focuses on habits instead of structureHow leadership quality quietly deteriorates when cognitive overload, isolation, and identity fusion go unmanaged Audit your four pillars and make one structural change this month that will still hold during your hardest season—not a habit, but a structure. 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.

    14 min
  2. 205. Jake George on why partnerships become MORE valuable with AI

    3D AGO

    205. Jake George on why partnerships become MORE valuable with AI

    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 biggest opportunity in AI isn’t automation… but making your people more human? In this conversation, Jake George of Agentic Brain breaks down what’s actually happening inside modern businesses and why the future of growth belongs to leaders who combine AI with stronger partnership, coaching, and human connection. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: How AI can remove repetitive work while improving sales and partnership performanceWhy relationship-building becomes MORE valuable in an AI-driven economyThe practical ways leaders can use AI to coach teams, improve growth, and create better customer experiences If you want a practical, human-first perspective on AI, leadership, partnership, and business growth, this conversation is essential listening. 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.

    51 min
  3. 204. How toxic sales cultures start without anyone noticing

    5D AGO

    204. How toxic sales cultures start without anyone noticing

    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 How do you know your sales culture has become toxic before the numbers tell you? Pressure cultures in GTM teams rarely arrive dramatically — they emerge gradually through what leaders celebrate, tolerate, and protect. Why high-performing sales teams can still be quietly losing trust underneath the surfaceThe three early warning signs leaders miss before attrition and customer damage appearHow culture drift spreads socially through top performers, tolerated behaviour, and pressure systems Review the last 90 days of your organisation and ask: what got celebrated, what was tolerated, and what behaviour others started copying. 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.

    14 min
  4. 203. The CEOs winning with AI aren’t chasing certainty

    MAY 18

    203. The CEOs winning with AI aren’t chasing certainty

    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 biggest AI risk isn’t moving too fast — but waiting too long for certainty that never arrives? Most CEOs are trying to build a complete AI strategy in a market changing faster than their planning cycle can keep up. Why adaptive capability is becoming more valuable than long-range certaintyThe hidden organisational cost of waiting for the AI landscape to “settle”A practical framework for making fast, bounded decisions without reckless execution Identify one AI-related decision you’ve been delaying, set a 90-day review point, and move with the information you have today. 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.

    15 min
  5. 202. Ben Pronk on leading through uncertainty and what it takes to be happy

    MAY 15

    202. Ben Pronk on leading through uncertainty and what it takes to be happy

    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 leadership growth isn’t about certainty but about learning to lead through ambiguity? In this deeply reflective conversation, Ben Pronk unpacks leadership, resilience, happiness, stoicism, and the hidden pressures facing modern executives. From special operations leadership lessons to redefining success beyond money and status, this episode explores what sustainable growth truly looks like—both professionally and personally. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: How resilient leaders make better decisions under uncertaintyWhy partnership and growth depend on emotional intelligence—not controlThe mindset shift that helps leaders adapt without losing confidence If you’re navigating growth, leadership pressure, or major life transitions, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about success, resilience, and partnership. PRE-ORDER Ben Pronk's new book We're all going to die. Practical happiness for the time we have left. 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
  6. 201. How smart GTM leaders enter markets they don’t yet own

    MAY 13

    201. How smart GTM leaders enter markets they don’t yet own

    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 What if the fastest way into a new market isn’t building your own presence but borrowing someone else’s trust? This episode explores how GTM leaders use partnerships to enter markets faster by aligning with the people buyers already trust. Why trust, not awareness, is the real barrier to market entryHow to identify the partners who already shape buyer confidence in your target segmentA practical framework for using partnerships to accelerate credibility, access, and growth Choose one market you want to penetrate over the next 18 months, identify the three most trusted partners in that ecosystem, and define what value you’d need to create to earn an introduction. 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.

    13 min
  7. 200. How to lead through acquisition without losing culture

    MAY 11

    200. How to lead through acquisition without losing culture

    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 actually destroys culture during an acquisition — the deal itself, or the way leadership handles the first 90 days? Most M&A failures aren’t operational failures. They’re confidence failures caused by unmanaged identity loss inside the organisation. Why culture integration fails when it’s treated as a post-close HR exercise instead of a pre-close strategic priorityThe leadership lesson behind The Walt Disney Company preserving the identities of Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Marvel Studios after acquisitionA practical framework to identify and protect the three cultural non-negotiables that keep your best people engaged during change If you’re leading through a merger or acquisition, map the parts of your culture that genuinely drive trust and performance — then build visible protection mechanisms for them before the deal closes. 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.

    13 min
  8. 199. How Andrea Culligan thinks about growth, awareness, AI and partnerships

    MAY 8

    199. How Andrea Culligan thinks about growth, awareness, AI and partnerships

    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 unlock for leadership growth wasn’t strategy… but self-awareness? In this deeply candid conversation, Andrea Culligan shares the failures, identity shifts, business losses, relationship lessons, and leadership realizations that shaped her approach to growth through partnerships, innovation, and servant leadership. In this episode, you’ll learn: How self-awareness becomes a competitive advantage in leadership and growthWhy organizational agility depends on partnership, storytelling, and trustWhat founders and executives consistently misunderstand about strategic partnerships If you want to build stronger partnerships, lead transformational growth, and navigate change with more clarity and confidence, this episode will reshape how you think about leadership. 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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