READ ON PHILHSC.COM | READ TIME: 4 MINUTES | 18 JUNE 2025

Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #99 featuring ideas you can use to create partnerships faster, with less guesswork, and confidently close 6-figure deals.

Know someone who could use this edition? Share it with them here.

A LESSON TO BUILD ON

Pfizer and BioNTech’s “lightspeed” partnership redefined what’s possible in crisis response. By integrating R&D (running clinical trial phases in parallel), retooling global manufacturing sites in months, and building a new -70°C cold chain, they moved faster than any vaccine project in history. Within 12 months, they delivered a 95% efficacy vaccine; by end of 2021, 3 billion doses were manufactured.

Leadership Lesson: When urgency is real, leadership must remove friction, not add it. Align on intent, integrate fast, and build a culture of “get to yes.” In a crisis (or a competitive market) speed with trust is a superpower.

​

AN ANSWER TO HELP YOU MOVE FASTER

I have partnerships which are stuck and under-performing. How do I ‘un-stuck’ them? I was asked this question from the crowd this week. Here’s my answer:

Stuck doesn’t mean doomed. It means someone stopped listening, or stopped leading.

It’s easy to think, “If it’s not working, kill it.”

It’s better to proceed with “If it mattered once, give it a chance to evolve.”

Here’s how to bring a partnership back to life, or exit with dignity:

1. Name the Stall (Directly and Neutrally)​
→ “Feels like momentum has slowed. Want to sense-check that together?”
Naming it opens the door to fixing it.

2. Revisit the Original Intent​
→ Go back to the why.​
If the purpose still matters, there’s something worth saving.

3. Run a Fresh Alignment Session​
→ New priorities? New people? New goals?
Don’t assume yesterday’s plan still fits.

4. Create a 30-Day Reset Plan​
→ Pick one objective, one action, one owner per side.
Short-term focus rebuilds trust.

5. Ask: “What’s Been Hard on Your Side?”​
→ Empathy unlocks honesty.
And honesty clears the logjam.

6. Introduce a New Face​
→ Sometimes a fresh relationship reignites the old one.
Change the dynamic, not just the plan.

7. Offer to End It Gracefully​
→ “If it’s not the right time, we can pause with appreciation, not pressure.”
No guilt. Just options.

8. Share a Win From Elsewhere​
→ “Here’s what worked in another partnership, it might spark ideas here.”
Momentum is contagious.

9. Reset the Success Metric​
→ Maybe the original KPI was off.
Change the target, not the teammate.

10. Say: ‘Let’s Just Make One Customer Smile’​
→ Drop the strategy. Pick one shared client or cause.
A human win > a stalled roadmap.

Did this help? If YES, leave a testimonial, it’s the best way you can help my work.

​

THIS WEEK'S MOMENT (Insight for your commute)

What can your business learn from Apple and Visa’s billion-dollar handshake?

In this 7-minute episode:

• Discover how choosing the right partner can unlock instant credibility and reach
• Learn why security and trust are more than buzzwords (they're key to partner and customer buy-in)
• Uncover five actionable strategies to make your partnerships easier, more effective, and built to last

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?

Share this issue via text, social media, or email by copying and pasting this link:

​https://philhsc.com/partnership/18-june-2025​

See you next Wednesday,

Phil Hayes-St Clair, Business Partnerships Expert & Coach

​Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 Call​

​