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

Hosted by Phil Hayes-St Clair

Business MarketingInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

214

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

About the show

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

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 15, 202611 min

215. How CEOs grow their business by doing less not more

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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat's the one thing that would grow your business fastest right now — and are you absolutely certain you're working on it?Most CEOs aren't short of growth ideas. They're short of concentration.Why growth is usually constrained by a single bottleneck, not a lack of effortThe reason leadership teams spread attention across five initiatives instead of pulling one lever hardA practical framework to identify the highest-leverage revenue move available right nowListen to discover your growth constraint, identify your highest-leverage revenue lever, and take the first step to test it this week.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.

June 14, 202657 min

214. Tim Curtis on resilience, leadership and when there is no margin for error

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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat if resilience isn't something you're born with, but something you can deliberately build?Most leaders are trying to navigate growth while balancing uncertainty, pressure, team dynamics, family responsibilities, and constant change. The challenge isn't avoiding adversity—it's learning how to perform through it.In this conversation, Tim Curtis shares lessons from special operations, crisis leadership, resilience research, and decades of operating where there truly was no margin for error.You'll Discover:How to build resilience using a practical framework that works for individuals, teams, and families.Why the best leaders create environments where disagreement, learning, and adaptation are encouraged.How partnership, trust, and contribution become competitive advantages during periods of rapid growth.If you're building a business, leading a team, or trying to create stronger partnerships in uncertain times, this episode will give you practical tools you can use immediately.No Margin For Error - Video TrailerBuilding Resilient Kids - BookThe Resilience Shield - BookThe 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.

June 10, 202611 min

213. Why your CEO keeps questioning your revenue plan

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-dealsABOUT THIS EPISODE:Why does your CEO keep asking questions about your revenue plan that you thought you'd already answered?The answer is usually not in the plan itself, it's in how the plan is being framed. In this episode:Learn the difference between presenting a revenue strategy and helping a CEO make a confident decision.Understand the five questions CEOs naturally use to evaluate growth investments.Discover how to translate GTM initiatives into the business outcomes and economics executive teams care about.Listen to this episode and use the CEO Growth Conversation framework before your next growth planning discussion.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.

June 8, 202610 min

212. The 3 questions every CEO should ask about 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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEHow do you make confident AI decisions without pretending to know more than you do?In a world full of confident AI predictions, the leaders who make the best decisions aren’t the most certain—they have the best filters.Learn the three questions that separate signal from hype.Avoid making strategic decisions based on confidence rather than evidence.Build a practical framework you can apply to any AI claim before it reaches a strategy document.Listen now and start using the CED Filter to evaluate AI opportunities with greater clarity and confidence.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.

June 5, 202643 min

211. Rear Admiral Lee Goddard CSC on the human side of trust, accountability, and leadership

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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat does it take to lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher?From commanding warships and joint-agency taskforces to advising some of Australia’s most innovative defence, aerospace, and technology companies, Lee Goddard CSC has spent his career operating in environments where leadership, trust, and decision-making truly matter.In this episode, Lee joins Phil to share lessons about:What leadership looks like under pressureThe challenge of building and sustaining organisational cultureWhy trust remains the foundation of high-performing teamsThe growing importance of partnerships and strategic ecosystemsHow leaders can navigate disruption, uncertainty, and changeThis is a conversation about leadership in its most authentic form—service, accountability, adaptability, and mission.Listen now to hear Lee Goddard CSC’s perspective on leadership, resilience, culture, and strategic partnerships.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.

June 3, 202611 min

210. The leadership skill that keeps GTM leaders relevant

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-dealsABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat if the GTM motion you're most confident leading is the very thing limiting your future growth?Many GTM leaders plateau not because they lack ability, but because they keep applying a playbook that no longer matches what the business needs next.Why success in one GTM environment can create blind spots in another.How growth stages change the capabilities leadership teams need.A simple framework to identify where your relevance gap is forming before it becomes a career problem.Listen to this episode and identify one capability you'll need in the next 12 months that you don't have today—and one person you can learn it from directly.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.

June 2, 202611 min

209. How experienced CEOs recover client trust when things go wrong

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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat do you do when your organisation breaks trust with a client or partner?In this episode, Phil Hayes-St Clair shares the EARN framework — a practical leadership approach for recovering damaged relationships with integrity, structure and long-term trust.Why most leaders move into solutions too quickly — and how that weakens confidenceThe four-step EARN framework: Expose, Ask, Rebuild, Name ThemHow strong recoveries can deepen trust instead of simply restoring competenceListen now to learn how mature leaders handle pressure moments when relationships are genuinely on the line.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.

May 29, 202648 min

208. Five CEO Insights: Time to think, leadership leverage and the one that matters most

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.comIn this episode, you'll hear:Insight 1 — How to create time to think Most CEOs are too close to the work to think clearly about it. This insight gives you a practical way to create the conditions that accelerate both your thinking and your growth.Insight 2 — How CEOs create leadership leverage without becoming the bottleneck The higher you go, the more your team waits on you. Learn how to scale your impact without becoming the constraint.Insight 3 — You want to lead a basketball team, not a golf team One of the most powerful distinctions in leadership. This reframe will change how you think about team contribution, interdependence, and what great performance actually looks like.Insight 4 — How to train your team to get you the right information at the right time Radical transparency without fear. Learn how to build a culture where your team delivers the data, insight, and implications you need — when you need them.Insight 5 — How to communicate commitment to work without damaging your family, your leadership, or your growth The most important insight in this episode. Practical language and a clear framework for holding your work and your home with clarity, empathy, and emotional security.Bookmark this episode and come back to it as often as 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.

May 27, 202612 min

207. How experienced GTM leaders adapt when markets tighten

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-dealsABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat actually keeps a GTM engine moving when the market slows down?When budgets tighten and buying cycles lengthen, most GTM teams increase activity instead of increasing precision, and that’s usually where performance starts breaking down.Why downturns expose the difference between broad-market positioning and real buyer urgencyThe 3-part filter for identifying the buyer profile most likely to close in difficult marketsHow messaging, channel mix, and partnerships need to shift when trust and certainty matter more than expansion narrativesIdentify the narrowest buyer profile in your current ICP with urgent pain, available budget, and a short approval path, then redirect 70% of your GTM effort toward them for the next 60 days.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.

May 25, 202613 min

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.comABOUT THIS EPISODEWhat 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 unmanagedAudit 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.