Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork

by Dan Sullivan

By sharing responsibility rather than shouldering it, Michael blossomed into a brilliant all-around player. His vision for what he could

ultimately achieve expanded, and the Bulls realized that with an amazing team and coach, they could create something truly special and unique.

Michael’s true brilliance was only possible as he transformed into more of a team player, built around a team system, led by a genius coach.

Michael invested huge into getting the most effective coaching and conditioning he could get, and that is a huge reason why as an individual player, he was so good for so long.

What would be possible for you if your capabilities and potential were expanded by other brilliant Whos? In looking at your own life for a moment, how much of it are you trying to shoulder alone, for one reason or another?

What are YOU trying to accomplish? Do you have Whos in your life that give you the perspectives, resources, and ability to go beyond what you could do alone? Or are you keeping your goals so small to make them easier to accomplish them on your own?

Do you really think you must be the one to put in the blood, sweat, and tears, bearing the whole load to prove your capability?

can be easy to focus on How, especially for high achievers who want to control what they can control, which is themselves. It takes vulnerability and trust to expand your efforts and build a winning team. It takes wisdom to recognize that 1) other people are more than capable enough to handle much of the Hows, and 2) that your efforts and contribu...

Your attention and energy should not be spread thin, but purposefully directed where you can experienc...

Results, not effort, is the name of the game. You are rewarded in life by the results you produce, not the effort and time you put in. All too often, there is a lack of commitment to results an...

It is only through teamwork and collaboration that you can achieve things you previously thought impossible. Things you can’t

By focusing on Who you work with and not How you achieve your goals, your level of accomplishment, and thus freedom, will dramatically increase in all key areas—time, money, relationships, and purpose.

Dan Sullivan—didn’t write one word you’re about to read. He didn’t even see the book until it was almost done, and even then, his notes were short, and I took only some of them. Yet, the book is better than he would have written himself—even with help.

If you are like most people, the first thing you do when you imagine a bigger future is ask yourself: “How do I achieve this goal?” Although this question seems intuitive, it’s actually the worst possible question you could ask (assuming you want to be happy and successful).

this “How” question is what you’ve been taught to ask your whole life. Our public education system is entirely based on “How.” We’re taught from a young age that we need to do everything ourselves. We’re taught that getting help from others is “cheating,” and something we absolutely shouldn’t do.

#School

“Who can help me achieve this?”—may deceive you at first glance. Think about this for a second: What would happen in your life if you asked this question about everything you wanted to accomplish? What would happen if you asked this question about everything you’ve been procrastinating to do?

How would your goals change if you could find people—Whos—that could help you achieve everything you wanted in your life?

How would your confidence change if you had several Whos producing ...

How would your time be spent if you were no longer the on...

How would your income change if you could achieve all your goals, and not just some of them? How would your sense of purpose expand if you had brilliant Whos...

How would the quality of your relationships change if you could invest more time and money into those relationships? What if you had access to anyone you...

“WHO” CREATES RESULTS, “HOW” CREATES PROBLEMS

He helps his entrepreneurs clarify their “Unique Ability”—the activities that bring them the most excitement and energy and produce the biggest impact—and then find Whos to take care of everything else.

he presented me with an Impact Filter, the one-page document he gives to his “Whos” when he has a new goal (you’ll learn more about this in later). When he presented me with this document, Dan said: “Let’s do this. Here’s what success looks like. Here’s why this project is so important for us. Here’s what we gain if we succeed. Here’s what’s at stake if we fail. I’m here if you need me. Go!”

That’s what real leadership is: Creating and clarifying the vision (the “what”), and giving that vision greater context and importance (the “why”) for all Whos involved. Once the “what” and “why” have clearly been established, the specified “Who” or “Whos” have all they need to go about executing the “How.” All the leader needs to do at that point is support and encourage the Who(s) through the process.

When you’re trying to accomplish something challenging or difficult that you’ve never done before, you probably need a Who. Let me say that another way: You absolutely need a Who if you’re trying to accomplish something new and challenging, unless you’re fine not getting the result you want in the near future.

The bigger the challenge, the more essential the Who. And if you are the Who, as I was in this case, you’ll eventually discover that as the Who, you’ll also need a Who.

When the vision is important enough, the right team of Whos will come together.

In some situations, like Frodo, you will be humbled, sometimes even to tears, by the utter commitment of your Whos. Your gratitude—for the abundance of people in your life, and also for the abundance of results and freedom you’re experiencing—will often overwhelm you.

In other instances, like Sam, you will be the Who supporting a broader vision being led by someone else. You’ll be grateful for your unique role and contribution to a vision that is not only meaningful but also transformative.

Both Frodo and Sam were each other’s Who. They supported and encouraged each other to do what neither of them could even consider, let alone achieve, on their own. Through their connection, they grew as people and...

This book is not for people with small goals and ambitions. It is for people who want to do extraordinary things with their lives. If you want to get progressively bigger and better results in your life, then you’ll need Whos, not Hows.

You don’t get preferential treatment with Hows, but with Whos who know what they’re doing.

results are produced by Whos, not Hows.

You’ll begin to set bigger and bigger targets, and you’ll commit to those targets faster by getting the Who that is equipped to produce the result.

DELEGATION IS NOT EXPLOITATION “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” —Ronald Reagan

There is love and respect among Whos. Each member of the team views the other as a collaborator on a shared mission, and each member wants to be a hero to the others.

Your purpose and vision expand when you have powerful Whos who can take your goals to places you couldn’t have imagined yourself.

The bigger the vision, the more you need Whos and not Hows. By the same token, your vision grows as you get more and better Whos involved.

When you develop collaborations, particularly with world-class talent, projects and businesses can quickly expand far beyond the initial concept.

Above the Socializing Self is the Authoring Self, which is when you’ve gone from unhealthily dependent to a much more healthy independence. You’ve developed your own sense of self. You have a worldview, goals, and an agenda. However, you have a perceptual filter that you cannot see beyond. Everything you do is to confirm your bias and achieve your narrow goals. This is where most people stop in their development, highly convinced of their own perspectives and unwilling to alter those views.

The Transforming Self is different from the Authoring Self in that rather than being individualistic and competitive, it is more relational and collaborative. When at this higher level, you engage in collaborative relationships for the sake of transformation. All parties have their own perspectives, beliefs, and agendas. Yet they come together for the purpose of having their own views, and even their own identities and sense of self expand. The whole becomes new and greater than the sum of all parts.

Through collaboration, striving, growth, and connection, people can and do change. They can evolve in ways far beyond what is possi...

In order to engage in Transformational Relationships, each of the involved parties must be psychologically evolve...

Transformational Relationships, as opposed to Transactional ones, are entered into for the purpose of change and growth. In Transformational Relationships, all parties give more than they take. There is an abundance mind-set, and an openness to novelty and change. Rather than viewing people or services as a “cost,” as in the transactional mind-set, everything is viewed as an investment, with the possibility of 10X (10 times), 100X, or even bigger returns and change.

“The only way to make your present better is by making your future bigger.” Going 10X bigger in your vision, whether that be income or revenue or some other metric, forces you to get Whos involved, because the task at hand literally becomes impossible to do on your own.

he sees their feedback as an essential ingredient in the creation and evolution of his own ideas. As he explained to me: “I only see my part of the ideation as 50 percent. Once I’ve gotten the idea 50 percent formed, then it’s time to test it on the audience who provide the other 50 percent. Every time I share the initial concept, I’m always surprised by the feedback and comments I get. I could never guess what they are going to say and how they are going to react. Being surprised is something I seek out, and something I very much value. I’m always surprised by what becomes of the ideas and collaborations.

You’ll need Whos to transform your vision, giving it greater purpose and possibility than your initial thoughts could.

LET THE “WHO” DO THE “HOW”

Not only must the Who fully own the How, but they must have complete permission to do so.