How to avoid the zero-sum trap
Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #120 featuring ideas you can use to build partnerships faster, with less guesswork, and confidently close 6-figure deals.
Got a growth question? Send me an email.
A LESSON TO BUILD ON
When disruption hits, most executives reach for control. Experienced CEOs reach for orchestration. That’s what Satya Nadella did. Instead of trying to own AI, he invested billions to partner with OpenAI, embedding ChatGPT across Azure and Microsoft 365. In doing so he built an ecosystem that let others innovate faster on Microsoft’s platform. It’s a simple but powerful truth: control slows you down, orchestration creates momentum.
Leadership lesson: When the market shifts, don’t build higher walls. Build stronger bridges. Growth follows the leaders who enable, not the ones who protect.
AN ANSWER TO HELP YOU MOVE FASTER
There have been a number of times where I’ve had a funny feeling about a partnership deal.
It was almost as if there was a competition was being played to see who could get ‘the best deal’.
If you’ve felt that too, it’s a signal that the partnership you’re working on is falling into the zero-sum trap. Where one ‘partner’ stands to gain more than the other.
In those cases, it’s not a partnership.
It’s a transaction.
On the other hand, great partnerships are positive sum.
They expand the pie.
They are not protective.
Each side brings speed, reach, or credibility and together, both grow something neither could alone.
To help you avoid wasting time on a zero-sum deal, here is a 9 step framework to help you create positive sum partnerships.
THIS WEEK’S MOMENT
Are your suppliers helping you grow or just filling orders?
In this 9-minute episode, you’ll discover:
How to assess your current supplier relationships across 12 critical partnership elements
The 3 maturity levels—Baseline, Growth, and Strategic—and what shifts each one unlocks
Practical moves to transform a vendor into a co-invested growth partner
Get every episode of the Partnership Playbook on your next commute or workout. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube!
KNOW PEOPLE WHO FEEL STUCK?
Want to share this issue of Partnership via text, social media or email?
https://philhsc.com/partnership/12-november-2025
Until next Wednesday,
Phil Hayes-St Clair
Executive Coach
When you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:
1. The Partnership Lab A 6-week experience for founders, CEOs, and GTM leaders who are done with slow growth and stalled conversations. Learn to rapidly qualify and prioritise high-value partners, Install a system that turns conversations into contracts and capture outsized returns from partnerships that scale. Apply to join the first 2025 cohort today!
2. Join a free masterclass: Each week I pull back the curtain on frameworks, tactics, and real-world partnership strategies you can put into play immediate. Invite your team and bring your questions. This is your time.
3. Leadership Events: From Cochlear and Lifeblood to military leaders, I have shared inspiring stories and practical frameworks and insights that shift how leaders leverage partnerships for growth. Book me to speak at your next conference, offsite, or leadership event.
Looking for something different? Send me an email.
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