The Partnership Playbook: Lead with Clarity, Create Leverage & Reclaim Time
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 pr...
185. Why your culture probably isn’t what you think it is
Do you actually know what it feels like to work in your company or do you only know what it feels like to lead it?
Most CEOs think they understand culture, but what reaches the top is often cleaner than what people are actually living underneath.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why seniority distorts your view of cultureThe hidden gap between intended culture and lived experienceA simple quarterly practice to hear what your business really feels likePick three people two levels below you and ask them what it actually feels li...
184. The HRT patch story that’s being rewritten by founders Raisa Monteiro PhD and Johanna Wicks
What if one overlooked healthcare problem could unlock billions in growth?
Most leaders underestimate how broken systems quietly kill opportunity. In women’s health, particularly in hormone replacement therapy and the transdermal patches that deliver this medication, outdated innovation, supply chain failures, and misaligned incentives have created massive gaps, and even bigger opportunities for those who see them.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How partnership-driven innovation can unlock exponential growth in overlooked marketsWhy outdated business models create hidden opportunities for founders and leadersHow to identify and act on systemic gaps before the market catc...183. Are you still the right GTM leader for this stage?
Are you still leading GTM in ways that your business actually needs?
The playbook that made you successful can quietly become the reason you plateau.
In this episode Phil shares:
Why strong GTM leaders often stall not because they’re underperforming, but because they’re over-attached to an old commercial modelHow to spot the gap between the motion you’re confident leading and the one the business now needsA practical framework to help you identify the one capability you need to build nextListen now, run the Relevance Gap Audit, and identify the on...
182. How to manage your board before your board starts managing you
What happens when your board starts shaping the company more than you do?
In this episode, Phil breaks down why boards begin to overreach, what’s really driving the pressure, and how CEOs can lead the relationship before the room starts leading them.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to identify what each board member needs to feel confident — and what triggers their interferenceWhy the hardest board conversations should happen before the board meeting, not inside itHow to create a pre-meeting rhythm that protects your authority and improves decision-makingListen now to lea...
181. The Problem With ‘Owning It All’ in Partnerships
What if global growth was less about money—and more about mindset?
Larry Namer, co-founder of E! Entertainment, reveals the story behind launching a global media giant with just $2.5M—and the playbook he used to scale into post-Soviet Russia, China, and beyond.
Learn how to build partnerships that last decades (not just deals)See why respecting culture beats imposing strategy—every timeHear what most founders get wrong about capital, control, and creative freedomListen to this masterclass in partnership and growth—you’ll rethink how your next venture should scale.
New episodes T...
180. The two sentences GTM leaders should use before strategy pivots (again)
What do you say to your GTM team when the strategy changes… again?
Strategy shifts are normal in growing companies, but how leaders communicate those shifts determines whether a team re-engages with the new direction or quietly checks out.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why GTM teams don’t actually resist change — they resist feeling like their last effort didn’t matterThe “Continuity Bridge” framework that keeps trust intact during strategy pivotsThe two sentences every GTM leader should write before announcing a strategy changeIf you’re preparing to introduce a new GTM directio...
179. Clarity starts and ends with the CEO
If your strategy message passed through your organisation like a game of Chinese whispers… would the last person hear the same thing you meant?
CEOs hold enormous complexity in their heads, but organisations only act on what they clearly understand.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why clarity degrades as messages travel through layers of leadershipThe “Chinese whispers test” every CEO should apply to company communicationThe three levels of clarity leaders must translate: organisation, team, and individualListen now to learn how CEOs can ensure strategy survives the journey from the C-suite to the f...
178. RE-RELEASE: How to build a referral based business with Matt Remuzzi
Learn how Matt Remuzzi built a 1,200 client accounting business using referrals and partnerships.Matt shares actionable insights on mastering your numbers and leveraging partnerships for predictable growth.
You’ll learn:
Partnerships are the Best Marketing: Focus on partnerships where both sides benefit equally, ensuring trust and alignment in values.Master Your Fundamentals: Doing an exceptional job and delivering beyond expectations can eliminate the need for expensive marketing campaigns.Simplify Financial Decision-Making: Tools and data are abundant, but businesses need human insight to translate numbers into meaningful action.Connect:
Website
...177. The new reality for GTM leaders: No one has been here before
What should a GTM leader do when the market is changing faster than any playbook?
AI, geopolitics, and shifting market dynamics are creating a moment in business history where no leader has a perfect roadmap — but that doesn’t mean standing still is the answer.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why the acknowledgment “no one has been here before” is actually a leadership advantageHow to reset your partnership ecosystem when markets and technology shift rapidlyThe three questions every GTM leader should ask to identify which partners to deepen, recalibrate, or releaseListen to...
176. The CEO’s Conviction Principle: How to decide when smart people disagree
What should a CEO do when their two smartest leaders completely disagree on the path forward?
Moments like this happen in every company that’s growing — and the instinct to search for the objectively correct answer can quietly stall the entire organization.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why disagreement between strong leaders is often a healthy signal, not a leadership problemThe shift from correctness to conviction that experienced CEOs learn to makeA practical three-step decision lens for moving a divided leadership team toward aligned executionListen to the episode to learn how to...
175. RE-RELEASE: Jeff Wetzler and the power of asking the right question at the right time
What if the key to stronger partnerships, deeper relationships, and better decisions was simply knowing how to ask the right questions?
In a world of fast-moving change, many leaders struggle with communication gaps, unspoken challenges, and misaligned partnerships. Jeff Wetzler, an expert in learning and leadership, shares his transformative approach to asking better questions—one that fosters trust, accelerates progress, and uncovers hidden insights in both business and personal life.
How unspoken thoughts can hinder collaboration—and how to surface them constructivelyThe five-step Ask approach to creating more open and effective conversations.Why partnerships thrive on curi...174. The Decision Partner Model: The future of pre-sales in the AI era
What happens to selling when every buyer has instant access to information through AI?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair explores why credibility, not information, is becoming the most valuable currency in modern selling.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why the traditional pre-sales role is evolving into a Decision PartnerThe Decision Partner Architecture GTM leaders can implement immediatelyHow credibility improves pipeline quality, trust formation, and customer retentionListen now to learn how forward-thinking GTM leaders are redesigning their commercial teams for the AI era.
New ep...
173. The 1-in-4 Rule: How CEOs keep their organisations close to customers
What if the reason your organisation feels slow… is because leadership has drifted too far from the front line?
Many companies quietly become insular as they grow — calendars fill with meetings, decisions become theoretical, and leaders lose proximity to customers and teams.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why “too many meetings” is often a symptom of lost connection to customers and the front lineThe 1-in-4 Rule: a simple leadership rhythm to restore front-line bias across your leadership teamHow CEOs can create an organisation that learns faster because leaders stay connected to real customer experience...172. RE-RELEASE: Caroline DeWitte on technology that could power the US for 100 years using spent nuclear fuel rods
What new technology and partnerships play a role in nuclear energy solving the world's biggest energy challenges?
Nuclear power has long been misunderstood, but Oklo is changing the game with small, safe, and efficient reactors that recycle nuclear waste. Caroline DeWitte shares how Oklo’s groundbreaking approach, strong Partnerships, and regulatory strategy are making nuclear power more accessible, sustainable, and scalable potentially fueling the U.S. for over 100 years with existing spent fuel.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How Partnerships with regulators, suppliers, and customers are critical to scaling nuclear energy.Why Oklo...171. How to think about build vs buy to win GTM advantage
What if the fastest way to strengthen your GTM strategy isn’t building a new capability but acquiring one?
Sometimes the smartest move isn’t adding more resources, it’s owning the right asset in your market.
You’ll learn:
The four types of GTM assets that create real market leverageThe three moments when “buy vs build” becomes a serious strategic decisionA simple framework for building the investment case and payback mathsA 90-day integration approach that connects the asset directly to pipelineIf you’re responsible for growth, this episode will help you move beyon...
170. How CEOs train their teams to get you the right information at the right time
Are you absolutely certain you’re getting the truth from your team at the exact moment you need it most?
In this episode, Phil Hayes-St Clair breaks down how CEOs can build radical transparency without creating fear — and how to train teams to “stick the landing” by delivering the right data, insight, and implications when it matters most.
You’ll learn how to:
Build a culture where truth travels faster than ego — without damaging trustInstall a simple reporting framework that saves time and sharpens decisionsCreate information rhythms that protect momentum and drive sustainable growthIf yo...
169. How to manage a GTM strategy that’s stalled (and start winning in 60 days)
What do you do when the GTM strategy that built your growth suddenly becomes the thing slowing it down?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil lays out a practical framework to help you lead wholesale GTM change with clarity, conviction, and real leadership — not panic.
You’ll learn how to:
Evaluate alternative GTM paths without emotional bias or internal chaosMake a decisive strategy call using a structured scoring modelCreate measurable momentum and early wins within 60 daysIf you want a clear, steady playbook for navigating disruption and driving growth through focu...
168. How CEOs can communicate commitment to work without damaging family, leadership or growth
How do you tell your family your work matters deeply… without making them feel like they matter less?
This episode gives you the language to communicate your commitment to work — while anchoring your leadership at home with clarity, empathy, and emotional security.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to:
Communicate your commitment to work without creating emotional competition at homeReplace guilt and defensiveness with clarity, rhythm, and grounded leadershipCreate a simple, repeatable framework that strengthens both family trust and long-term growthIf you want to lead with conviction at work and confid...
167. CEO Michelle Lynch on scaling healthcare without losing culture
What if the future of healthcare growth isn’t about scale—but about partnership?
Healthcare leaders today face burnout, commercial pressure, and rapidly shifting regulation. Many default to control. Fewer build ecosystems.
In this episode, Michelle Lynch shares what it takes to lead through transformation—without losing culture or care.
You’ll discover:
How partnership-driven growth creates resilience in complex marketsWhy simplicity—not scale—is the secret to successful partnershipsHow emotional intelligence and purpose protect performance during disruptionIf you’re serious about building sustainable growth through partnership—this conversation will change how...
166. How to assess the GTM strategy you inherited (without killing momentum)
What do you really inherit when you step into a new GTM leadership role — a growth engine or hidden drag?
In this episode Phil walks through a repeatable framework to help GTM leaders objectively assess the GTM assets they inherited - including partnerships, sales, marketing, and product-led channels - and make confident decisions that fuel sustainable growth and leadership clarity.
Learn how to quickly assess which GTM assets truly fit your strategy and ICP todayDiscover a practical framework to identify leverage across partnerships and other channelsGain confidence to decide what to double down on, stabilize, or su...165. How CEOs help their best leaders leave (and still win)
What does it say about your leadership if your best people never outgrow their roles?
CEOs want loyalty and great companies require growth. And sometimes, those two forces collide.
In this episode Phil explores what it really means to lead when one of your best people is ready for their next play.
Learn how to spot the difference between healthy growth tension and silent disengagementUnderstand why helping leaders leave well often strengthens long-term growth and trustGain a practical CEO framework for expanding roles, planning succession, or leading strong exitsIf you want...
164. CEO Doug Taylor on why growth without partnership isn’t ambitious enough
What if your growth ceiling isn’t capital, talent, or strategy… but your approach to partnership?
Too many leaders try to scale impact alone—only to discover complexity is outpacing capacity. In a world of digital exclusion, rising inequality, and fractured trust, sustainable growth demands something different: aligned partnerships built on shared value.
Meet Doug Taylor, CEO at The Smith Family, Australia’s largest children’s charities.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
How to assess whether a partnership will accelerate or dilute growthWhy shared value is the key to long-term, scalable partnership...163. How to build redundancy into your GTM strategy (before growth stalls)
What happens when a critical part of your go-to-market engine disappears overnight?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair breaks down why redundancy is mission critical and how GTM teams can design backup options that protect growth without creating complexity.
Learn how to identify hidden single points of failure in your GTM strategy before they breakDiscover a practical framework for building redundancy that protects revenue, partnerships, and growth velocityGain the confidence to lead calmly through disruption by designing optionality into your GTM systemIf you want to build durable growth and...
162. Why strong CEOs are always closer to the numbers than you think
Are you leading with conviction or quietly hoping your numbers don’t get tested?
Most CEOs say they want clarity, confidence, and trust from their teams. But many unknowingly give away authority the moment they admit they’re “not close to the numbers.”
In this episode, you’ll learn how knowing the right numbers strengthens leadership and fuels sustainable growth.
Why knowing your numbers is a signal of strength that inspires followershipWhich metrics reveal true business health beyond sales and top-line costsHow numbers protect CEOs from being blindsided when making high-stakes decisionsIf you wan...
161. RE-RELEASE: Christiana Brenton and the growth of FlightStory Studio (Home of the Diary of a CEO)
What if your revenue playbook was slowing your growth?
Most sales teams push harder. Christiana Brenton thinks differently, starting with curiosity, empathy, and humility. From scaling Flight Studio to rejecting a $100M offer, this conversation flips traditional thinking on partnerships and performance.
In this episode you’ll learn:
How curiosity and care outperform brute-force tactics in salesThe “first principles” mindset behind Flight Studio’s exponential growthWhy long-term trust beats short-term wins and how to build itGet a front-row seat to the mindset and strategy behind the world's most culturally relevant podcast brand.<...
160. How “great deals” quietly destroy growth (and what GTM leaders can do differently)
What if the deals your team celebrates most are quietly undermining your growth and leadership credibility?
Most GTM leaders are trained to optimize for speed, logos, and booked revenue. But when pricing decisions ignore margin durability and capacity strain, “great” deals can quietly erode unit economics, exhaust teams, and distort future negotiations. This episode reframes how strong leaders evaluate deals—without becoming blockers or sounding negative.
Learn how pricing, margin, and capacity trade-offs actually work—and why ignoring any one of them damages growthUnderstand how incentives and “strategic” discounts distort deal structure and become permanent over timeGain pra...159. You want to lead a basketball team (not a golf team)
Are you leading talented people who work hard but don’t really move together?
Most leadership teams don’t struggle with effort. They struggle with coordination. As companies grow, it’s easy to drift into a model where everyone performs individually, yet progress feels heavy, slow and overly dependent on the CEO.
In this episode, Phil breaks down a simple but powerful distinction that reshapes how CEOs think about leadership, growth, and team performance.
Learn how to diagnose whether your company is operating like a golf team or a basketball teamUnderstand why individual excellence can qu...158. How to go from sales to strategic partner in complex markets with CEO Hamid Ghanadan
What if the fastest path to growth wasn’t selling harder but partnering deeper?
If you’re scaling in healthcare, biotech or B2B you already know this: the complexity is compounding. Partners are either a liability or your greatest growth accelerant.
In this episode with CEO Hamid Ghanadan, we explore:
How empathy + clarity unlock high-trust partnershipsWhat most CEOs get wrong about change readiness and executionA leadership framework for growth when data is unclearLearn how to position your product and your people for growth through partnerships.
🎧 Listen now and rewire...
157. How GTM leaders can forecast growth without pretending certainty
What happens when leaders ask you for certainty—but the market refuses to cooperate?
As a GTM leader, forecasting today isn’t just about numbers. It’s about trust, credibility, and leadership in motion. You’re expected to be decisive in a world defined by unknowns. The pressure to sound certain is real, but it often makes forecasts brittle and trust fragile.
In this episode, Phil reframes forecasting as a leadership skill and shows how the strongest GTM leaders earn confidence by naming risk, structuring uncertainty, and leading with judgment instead of theater.
Learn how to f...156. How CEOs create leadership leverage without becoming the bottleneck
Are you building a leadership team that actually creates leverage — or are you still carrying more weight than you should?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil breaks down a clear approach to leadership that drives growth and strengthens leadership without sacrificing performance.
You’ll learn how to:
Create clarity and ownership with direct reports without micromanagingCollaborate as a thought partner without becoming the decision-makerBuild a leadership system that hits the numbers and develops champion leadersIf you’re a CEO focused on growth and leadership leverage, this episode will give you a...
155. How GTM leaders can handle tough partner conversations without burning bridges
What’s the real risk of avoiding a difficult partner conversation?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair breaks down how to plan, approach, and execute difficult partner conversations with clarity, confidence, and leadership presence—so both sides leave with more respect, even if the partnership needs to end.
What you’ll gain from listening:
How to structure difficult partner conversations that protect trust and accelerate growthA repeatable framework to handle conflict without damaging leadership credibilityHow to end misaligned partnerships cleanly while preserving long-term relationshipsIf partnership growth and leader...
154. How to create time to think and accelerate growth as a CEO
When was the last time you had real time to think as a CEO?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair breaks down how CEOs can reclaim time to think and, more importantly, how to use that time to create clarity, momentum, and calm across the business.
Learn the simple disciplines that create real thinking time without sacrificing executionDiscover how better thinking improves decision quality, team alignment, and leadership energyBuild a repeatable rhythm that supports long-term growth and confident leadershipIf you want fewer misfires, clearer teams, and leadership that feels...
153. RE-RELEASE: Colonel Kim 'KC' Campbell on leadership in high-stakes environments
Meet former US Air Force fighter pilot, Colonel Kim 'Killer Chick' Campbell.
This is her story including a harrowing experience during a mission in Baghdad, where her aircraft was critically damaged and she had to rely on emergency backup systems to get home safely.
Learn how partnerships, trust, and debriefing play a critical leadership role in high-stakes environments.
Connect with Kim:
Get Flying in the Face of Fear by Kim 'KC' CampbellVisit Kim's websiteConnect with Kim on LinkedInNew episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
More from Phil Hayes-St...
152. Why the best GTM partnerships in 2026 start with 6 questions
What if this year’s partnership growth doesn’t come from doing more — but from choosing better?
Most GTM leaders are pushing harder on partners in a market that’s already tight on trust, attention, and momentum. The result? Activity without progress. Deals that drift. Partnerships that quietly stall. In this episode:
Learn how to open deeper, more transparent partner conversations that drive growth instead of frictionDiscover how IDEAL+™ helps you decide which partnerships deserve focus — and which don’tBuild leadership confidence by designing partnerships around intent, trust, and long-term momentumIf you’re responsible for...
151. Paradox leadership: How CEOs make better decisions in uncertain times
What do you do as a CEO when two opposite decisions are both right — and choosing only one puts your business at risk?
In this episode of The Partnership Playbook, Phil Hayes-St Clair breaks down how to build the paradox leadership muscle — the capacity to think clearly, decide confidently, and coach teams effectively when contradictions are real and unavoidable.
You’ll learn:
How to recognize and name the paradoxes shaping growth and leadership in 2026 — before they paralyze decision-makingWhy the human brain resists contradiction, and how strong leaders train capacity instead of chasing certaintyA practical coaching...150. The “boring” infrastructure behind billion-dollar growth with Vervent CEO, David Johnson
Can your partnerships actually scale—or are they just good intentions?
Many leaders confuse volume for value and "partner" for "vendor." But as David Johnson, CEO of Vervent, explains—real partnership is a strategic lever for growth and resilience, not just a nice-to-have.
In this deep-dive episode, you’ll learn:
A proven 3-part framework to identify and grow strategic partnershipsWhy integrity, not innovation, is your real growth multiplierHow to balance risk, regulation, and go-to-market velocity🎧 Listen now to redefine how you scale through partnership and growth.
New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Satur...
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
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 costListen now to reimagine how partnerships and growth really scale.
New episodes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
More from Phil Hayes-St Clair:
Subscribe to the Wedne...
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 pressureIf...
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 exec...
