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

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 problem The shift from corr...

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 tr...

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 Partner The Decision Partner Architecture GTM leaders...

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 line...

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 accessibl...

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 leverage The three moments when “buy vs build” becomes a serious strategic decision A simple framework for building the inves...

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 f...

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 chaos Make a decisive strategy...

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 home Replace guilt...

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 resili...

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 q...

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 disengagement Understand...

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...

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 break Discover a practi...

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 sign...

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 sales Th...

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 eva...

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...

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 partnerships What most CEOs get wrong about change readin...

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 forecast...

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 micromanaging Collaborate...

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 p...

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 execution Discover how better thinking impro...

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 Flyi...

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 growt...