📚 Who Not How

📚 Who Not How

BOOK INFORMATION

Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
2020
257 pages
Business/Leadership/Personal Development

KEY TAKEAWAYS

HOOK

The single most important question you can ask to achieve exponential growth and freedom isn't "How can I do this?" but rather "Who can help me do this?" This simple mindset shift will transform your results and expand your possibilities beyond what you could imagine alone.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Shifting from a "How" mentality that focuses on individual effort to a "Who" mentality that leverages collaboration and teamwork, enables you can achieve exponentially bigger goals while gaining more time, money, meaningful relationships, and sense of purpose.

SUMMARY

"Who Not How" addresses the fundamental problem that entrepreneurs and high-achievers often limit their potential by asking the wrong question. Instead of asking "How can I do this?" which constrains them to their own capabilities and available time, Sullivan and Hardy argue that the transformative question is "Who can help me do this?" which opens up limitless possibilities through collaboration.

The authors' main thesis is that this simple mindset shift from How to Who is the key to achieving exponential growth and freedom. When you focus on finding the right people to help you achieve your goals rather than trying to figure everything out yourself, you unlock four key benefits: more time (by freeing yourself from tasks you're not excellent at), more money (by focusing on your highest-value activities), better relationships (through transformational partnerships), and a greater sense of purpose (by pursuing bigger visions).

Sullivan and Hardy support their argument with examples from their extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, psychological research on collaboration and mindset, and practical case studies showing how the Who Not How approach has transformed businesses and lives. They draw on Sullivan's decades of experience as a strategic coach and Hardy's background as an organizational psychologist to provide both theoretical foundation and practical application.

What makes this book unique is its focus on a single, powerful mindset shift rather than a collection of techniques or strategies. Unlike many business books that overwhelm with complex frameworks, "Who Not How" centers on one transformative idea that, when fully embraced, changes how readers approach every goal and challenge. The book's contribution lies in its ability to make readers see collaboration not just as a business strategy but as a fundamental approach to achieving extraordinary results in all areas of life.

INSIGHTS

• The question "How can I do this?" leads to mediocre results, frustration, and a life of regrets, while "Who can help me achieve this?" opens up exponential possibilities
• Your purpose and vision expand when you have powerful Whos who can take your goals to places you couldn't have imagined yourself
• Transformational relationships differ from transactional ones in that all parties give more than they take, operating from an abundance mindset
• If you're focused on doing everything yourself, you dramatically limit the resources you can direct toward your goals, limiting your potential, options, and future
• The ultimate quantification of success isn't how much time you spend doing what you love, but how little time you spend doing what you hate
• Psychologists call the Escalation of Commitment the phenomenon where every time you invest yourself in something, you become more committed to it. Even when it's not the best use of your time
• The role of a leader is to determine the "what" (desired outcome) and provide clarity, feedback, and direction, not to explain how the job is done
• In elementary school, you were taught that getting help from others is "cheating," but in business and life, collaboration is essential for success and meaning
• "Always be the buyer" in every situation. Be the one who can choose rather than the one trying to sell something
• Creating 10X or 100X results requires bigger goals and vision that force you to get Whos involved because the task becomes impossible to do alone

FRAMEWORKS & MODELS

The Four Benefits Framework
Sullivan and Hardy present four key benefits that result from adopting the Who Not How mindset:

This framework is supported by examples from successful entrepreneurs, psychological research on collaboration, and case studies showing how each benefit manifests in real-world applications. Its significance lies in showing that the Who Not How approach isn't just about efficiency but about holistic life improvement across multiple dimensions.

The Relationship Spectrum Model
The book presents different types of relationships and their impact on goal achievement:

• Transactional Relationships - One-time exchanges focused on specific tasks or services
• Transformational Relationships - Ongoing partnerships where all parties give more than they take, creating exponential value
• Collaborative Networks - Ecosystems of Whos who work together toward common goals

This framework is supported by analysis of successful business partnerships, mentorship relationships, and team dynamics. Its significance lies in helping readers understand that not all collaborations are equal and that transformational relationships create the greatest leverage for achieving extraordinary results.

KEY THEMES

• Collaboration Over Individual Effort: This theme is developed throughout the book by showing how individual effort is inherently limited while collaborative effort multiplies capabilities and results
• Mindset Shift as Transformation: Sullivan and Hardy explore how changing from How to Who thinking fundamentally transforms how people approach goals and challenges
• Freedom Through Delegation: This theme demonstrates that true freedom comes not from doing everything yourself but from effectively leveraging others' capabilities
• Expansion of Vision: The book shows how having the right Whos enables bigger visions and goals that would be impossible alone
• Relationship Quality Determines Results: This theme explores how the quality of relationships, transformational versus transactional, directly impacts the level of success achievable

COMPARISON TO OTHER WORKS

• vs. "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss: While Ferriss focuses on outsourcing and efficiency, Sullivan and Hardy emphasize the relational and collaborative aspects of achieving freedom through others
• vs. "Good to Great" by Jim Collins: Collins focuses on organizational-level discipline and systems, while Who Not How centers on individual mindset shift and collaboration
• vs. "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber: Gerber emphasizes systems and processes for business scaling, while Sullivan and Hardy focus on the people and relationship aspects of scaling
• vs. "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink: Willink emphasizes personal responsibility and leadership, while Who Not How emphasizes leveraging others' capabilities through collaboration
• vs. "Atomic Habits" by James Clear: Clear focuses on small individual habits and systems, while Who Not How focuses on collaborative approaches to achieving bigger goals

QUOTES

"You must stop asking yourself, 'How can I accomplish this?' That question, although common, leads to mediocre results, frustration, and a life of regrets. A much better question is: 'Who can help me achieve this?'" - This quote captures the core thesis of the book and the fundamental mindset shift it advocates.

"Your purpose and vision expand when you have powerful Whos who can take your goals to places you couldn't have imagined yourself." - This quote reveals how the right collaborators expand what's possible beyond individual limitations.

"In Transformational Relationships, all parties give more than they take. There is an abundance mindset, and an openness to novelty and change. Rather than viewing people or services as a 'cost,' as in the transactional mindset, everything is viewed as an investment, with the possibility of 10x (10 times), 100x, or even bigger returns and change." - This quote explains the difference between transactional and transformational relationships.

"If you're focused on doing everything yourself, then you are dramatically limiting the resources you can direct toward your goals. If your resources are limited, your potential, your options, and your future are limited too." - This quote illustrates the constraining nature of the How mindset.

"The ultimate quantification of success isn't how much time you spend doing what you love. It's how little time you spend doing what you hate." - This quote, attributed to Casey Neistat, reframes success in terms of freedom from undesirable activities.

HABITS

The book recommends several key practices for implementing the Who Not How mindset:

• Start every goal with "Who": When setting any new goal, immediately ask "Who can help me achieve this?" rather than "How can I do this?"
• Build your Who Network: Continuously identify and cultivate relationships with people who have complementary skills and capabilities
• Focus on your unique abilities: Identify what you do exceptionally well and delegate everything else to appropriate Whos
• Practice being the buyer: In every situation, position yourself as the one who chooses and invests rather than the one selling or seeking approval
• Create transformational relationships: Approach relationships with an abundance mindset, looking for ways to give more than you take
• Set bigger goals: Establish 10X or 100X goals that force you to seek collaboration because they're impossible to achieve alone
• Delegate outcomes, not tasks: Clearly define what "done" looks like and let your Whos determine how to achieve it
• Regularly review your commitments: Identify where you're stuck in How thinking and convert those areas to Who thinking

KEY ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

• Audit your current commitments: Review all your current projects and responsibilities, identifying which ones you're trying to figure out "How" to do yourself and which ones you've already found "Whos" for
• Identify your unique abilities: Determine what you do exceptionally well that provides the most value, and make a plan to delegate everything else
• Map your Who Network: Create a list of people in your network who could help you achieve your goals, categorized by their skills and expertise
• Practice the Who question: For the next 30 days, consciously catch yourself asking "How" and immediately reframe it as "Who"
• Start small with delegation: Begin by delegating one task you've been struggling with to an appropriate Who, learning from the experience
• Build transformational relationships: Reach out to potential collaborators with specific value propositions, focusing on how you can help them first
• Set a 10X goal: Choose one important area of your life or business and set a goal 10 times bigger than what you think is possible, then identify the Whos needed to achieve it
• Create a Who-first routine: Begin each day by reviewing your goals and asking "Who can help me make progress on these today?"

REFERENCES

Sullivan and Hardy draw on several sources and authorities throughout the book:

• Dan Sullivan's decades of experience as a strategic coach working with entrepreneurs through Strategic Coach
• Dr. Benjamin Hardy's background as an organizational psychologist and research on human behavior and motivation
• Psychological research on collaboration, teamwork, and the Escalation of Commitment phenomenon
• Examples and case studies from successful entrepreneurs who have applied the Who Not How principle
• Business principles about leverage, scalability, and the power of teamwork
• Educational psychology insights about how early schooling teaches individual achievement over collaboration
• Economic principles about the multiplier effect of collaboration and specialization
• Leadership research on the role of clarity versus control in effective management

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