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

by Dan Sullivan

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?

It 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 contribution (your “Hows”) should be focused exclusively where your greatest passion and impact are. Your attention and energy should not be spread thin, but purposefully directed where you can experience extreme flow and creativity. 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 and an over-infatuation with “process” or “hard work.”

The simplicity of this new question—“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 the results with you? How would your time be spent if you were no longer the one doing everything? 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 that made your goals easier to accomplish? 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 wanted to learn from or collaborate with? Can you even imagine that? If you can imagine that world, then you are starting to understand Who Not How.

Who Not How is truly that simple. You define the vision, find the Who or Whos, and let them create the result. 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.

Once you’re committed to the result you want, you’ll find that Who. When you do find that Who, you’ll see how ridiculously simple it was for them to produce your desired result, then you’ll begin to see just how small you’ve been playing. 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.

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

No Who is viewed as better or more important than the other. All Whos are essential to getting the project done. 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.

Socializing Self, which is when a person operates out of fear, anxiety, and dependence. You don’t make your own decisions. You don’t have your own goals. Instead, you are simply trying to be accepted by your peers and will do anything you can to conform with them.

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 possible through individualistic pursuits. In order to engage in Transformational Relationships, each of the involved parties must be psychologically evolved to the Transforming Self level. Kegan posits that this psychological level is achieved by less than 10 percent of all individuals and organizations. 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 c...

If you’re going to apply higher levels of teamwork in your life, you’ll need to relinquish control over how things get done.

A core aspect of leadership is being explicit about the vision. The more explicit you are in what you want, the faster you’ll attract the right Whos to help you achieve that vision. The leader explains the “What” and “Why” and then allows the “Who” to execute the “How.”

Freedom of Time is not fixed, but flexible. It’s not finite, but infinite. You never reach a place where you can’t improve your Freedom of Time, because it isn’t solely about having all the time to do what you want. It also involves using your time on increasingly quality activities.

How to Who in all that you do.

Employees, collaborators, and consultants work for you not because they are beneath you, but because they believe in you. You become an incredibly important Who in their life, giving them a mission to be part of, a way to provide for themselves and their families, and a way to build competence and confidence.

The more people you are a Who for, the more successful you will become.

Getting Whos involved in your goals is an investment. Often, we lack the commitment to make such an investment. We aren’t fully sold on our goals ourselves, so why would we include others in our goals? As will be shown throughout this book, it is actually the investment in Whos that strengthens your own commitment to your goals. As you get others involved, that action enhances your desire and motivation to get serious and get focused. You put yourself in a situation where you rise to a higher occasion, and where you have other people committed to helping you succeed.

enhanced commitment to their vision through investing tens of thousands of dollars, entrepreneurs can break through their limitations and reach new heights, thus expanding their identity, confidence, and freedom.

The question is, are you willing to invest in Whos? Are you willing to take that leap of faith and solidify your commitment to your dreams? Or, are you going to remain semi-committed?

CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS “How” limits you to your own knowledge and capabilities. “How” requires that you be the one to engage your time and attention into the particular task. “How” decreases your Freedom of Time. “Who” immediately connects you with different knowledge, insights, and capability. “Who” is about getting the desired result as effectively as possible. “Who” can immediately free up hundreds of hours, which you can spend in better and more meaningful ways. “Who” expands your vision for what is possible, because you no longer see yourself as the sole means of achieving the result. Self-expansion is a core human motivation, and it occurs through Whos. CHAPTER 2 THE TRUTH ABOUT PROCRASTINATION AND HOW TO KILL IT “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.” —Meredith Willson

Procrastination doesn’t only stop your confidence from growing. You also limit your imagination, preventing you from seeking out bigger and bigger goals. Your identity or self-concept becomes limited. You stop believing you can achieve big goals, because your identity is largely shaped by your behavior. And this pattern will cause you to assume the same for your future. Thus, procrastination leads to a small self-image and an increasingly smaller future for yourself.

“A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life.”

Applying Who Not How, and thus killing procrastination, requires two essential steps: Be radically explicit about your goals. Ask yourself: Who can help me accomplish this goal?

Dan has created a tool that helps to define the vision, what successful completion of the project looks like, and why it is so important. He calls this tool the Impact Filter.

As a rule, most people do not take the time to 1) clarify their goals or 2) adequately explain their goals. Rather than being explicit about their aims, it is common for people to keep those to themselves. By answering the Impact Filter questions, you’ll be equipped to explain to other people what you want, and why it is so important. Being able to articulate and express your goals is one of the most important and fundamental skills necessary for success. Only when your goal is clearly defined and persuasively expressed can you start getting the support you need to achieve your goals.

Now that you’ve clarified and become explicit about your goal, you must refrain from trying to figure out “How” to accomplish it. This may be a new practice for you.

“The purpose of the Impact Filter is first to sell yourself on the vision, because you can’t sell other people unless you’re sold yourself.” So, are you sold? Do you really want what you say you want? Is this vision nonnegotiable? Is it that important? The Impact Filter you just filled out should define the importance of this project, and what you stand to gain if you succeed, and what’s at stake if you fail. Are you clear on these things? If you’re clear, and if this goal or project really matters, then are you going to be courageous? Are you going to find Whos to support you? Are you going to add their resources to yours, and thus expand yourself and your efficacy? The crazy truth, which you may not realize yet, is that you absolutely can get Whos to help you. There are plenty of incredible and capable people who want to and will help you. All you need to do is tell them your vision. Spell it out for them. The Impact Filter actually does that for you. Then ask yourself: “Who can help me accomplish this goal?” Once you’ve identified the needed person to help you accomplish your goal, it’s time to get that person engaged and executing the needed Hows. In order to do so, you’ll need to ensure your vision also matches their vision for themselves, and that you can clearly become a powerful Who to them. If you can, and if helping you achieve your vision will help them simultaneously become who they want to be, then you’ve got your Who.

Let your Who do their How.

you don’t have a Whitney, then you need to put out your vision statement everywhere you can, particularly places where people are looking for jobs. But don’t be afraid to share your goal or Impact Filter on social media. By sharing your goals and vision, you’ll often be surprised where you can get the help you need (that’s how I found Whitney). “Having

ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE “What is the ultimate quantification of success? For me, it’s not how much time you spend doing what you love. It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate.”

Start by simply eliminating all tasks or distractions that are unnecessary to your future self. Often, we engage in tasks simply out of habit. If it can be eliminated altogether, then eliminate it. Your future self will thank you.

Here are the questions on the one-page Moving Future process, which will help you improve your time every 90 days: Looking back over the past quarter, what are the things you have achieved that make you the proudest? What are the current areas of focus and progress that make you the most confident? Looking ahead at the next quarter, what new developments, projects, or goals are giving you the greatest sense of excitement? What are the five new “jumps” (progress) you can now achieve that will make your next 90 days a great quarter regardless of what else happens? Every 90 days, as you become more intentional and better with your time, you’ll accomplish more. You’ll be able to reflect back and be shocked by how much you achieved. You get to enjoy the progress you’re making. And every 90 days, your excitement about your future will grow.

Answer the questions above from Dan’s Moving Future process to clarify what projects or goals you want to accomplish over the next 90 days. Then ask yourself, “Who can help me accomplish this?”

Until you free up your time, your mind will be caged. When you free up your time, you free up your mind. With a free mind, your thinking will go to a higher level. You’ll have a greater belief in yourself. You’ll entertain new and better thoughts. You’ll have the time and energy to focus on self-improvement and further education, honing your skills and your craft. You’ll have the time to work on innovating or expanding the vision or your services.

Whos take care of most of the major and minor details will give you the space you need. With that space, your vision will expand. With an expanded vision, your quality of life and income will soar,

You’ve got to step up and commit to doing things better and smarter, not solely working harder.

The first freedom is Freedom of Time, which was covered extensively in Part 1. When you begin taking your own time more seriously, then the second freedom, Freedom of Money, starts to take care of itself.

You need the pressure to succeed. You add that pressure by increasing your investment. This forces you to better use your time, which enables you to increase your income capacity or Freedom of Money.

CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS You can’t have money freedom until you achieve time freedom. By freeing up your time, you get the invaluable benefit of freeing up your mind. By freeing up your time, you can focus on higher impact activities—such as strategizing or creating—which will automatically increase your income. Improving how you spend your time automatically improves your ability to make money. Making the single decision to add a Who to a specific area of your life eliminates decision fatigue in that area. Eliminating decision fatigue from your life should be one of your primary goals if you want to be a high performer and increase your income. CHAPTER 5 COMMIT TO SPECIFIC RESULTS “Commitment is a statement of what ‘is.’

book. Transformational leaders embody four characteristics: Individualized Consideration: The degree to which, as the leader, you attend to each team member’s needs, act as a mentor or coach to each member, and listen to concerns and needs. You give empathy and support, keep communication open, and place challenges before your team so they can grow. You give respect and celebrate the individual contribution that each person can make to the team. Intellectual Stimulation: The degree to which, as the leader, you challenge people’s assumptions, take risks, and solicit ideas from your team. You stimulate and encourage creativity in your team, and you nurture and help team members to think independently. You help them build confidence so they can make their own decisions and take their own risks. You take learning very seriously, placing high value on it, and you see unexpected situations as opportunities to learn. You allow your team members to ask you questions, and ultimately, make their own decisions about how to better execute their own tasks. You don’t micromanage. Inspirational Motivation: The degree to which, as the leader, you articulate a vision that is appealing and inspiring to your team. You challenge your team to increase their personal standards, while you communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. Every member of your team needs a strong sense of purpose in order to be motivated to act. Purpose and meaning provide the ener...

According to Self-Determination Theory, every human being has three basic psychological needs related to their work: A sense of competence Autonomy in how they do their work Positive and meaningful relationships

It is not the role of the leader to explain how the job is done. The Who determines how they will best go about getting the job done. All they need is clarity about what specifically “done” looks like. This is where the Impact Filter can be helpful. It helps all involved parties stay on track when confronted with other distractions. When building a house, there are many things you could add to the house that may improve it. But if those improvements distract from the details you specifically want for that house, then such “improvements” may actually kill the entire vision.

CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS If you’re truly committed to a result, you’ll need to focus on Who, not How. Extreme commitment comes from clarity of vision and the autonomy to execute that vision in whatever way the Who sees fit. Transformational leaders invest in their Whos, challenge them, help them clearly see the vision, and ultimately, get their Whos just as committed and invested as they are. Without clarity of vision, autonomy is not effective. With clarity of vision, as well as consistent feedback on results, autonomy leads to high performance. Leaders should be committed to results, not to a particular process. Rather than micromanaging the process, leadership should provide freedom and autonomy as well as extreme clarity and high standards

CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS Focusing on How will greatly limit your ability to make money. Believing that doing all of the Hows yourself is noble is a limiting belief. It’s not noble. When you focus on How, it’s often based on a scarcity mind-set and cost avoidance. Trying to avoid costs by engaging in Hows will cost you and your future huge in the long run. By seeing Whos as an investment, rather than a cost, you can quickly 10X or more your income and revenue. By seeing Whos as an investment, rather than a cost, you can create transformational relationships, in which all parties give more than they take, rather than transactional ones. By seeing yourself as an investment, rather than a cost, you can expand your Freedom of Time, Money, Relationship, and Purpose.

Rather than asking, “What’s in it for me?” which is the common question, Joe asks, “What’s in it for them?” Asking, “What’s in it for me?” is a terrible way to get access to people. It is impossible to create transformational relationships with this selfish “taker” mind-set. The “what’s in it for me” mind-set is transactional and small-minded and will only attract similarly transactional people.

The moral to the story: Don’t reach out to someone unless you have something meaningful to offer them. That “something” needs to be real and relevant, not just a compliment or flattery. True and real value. And if you want the relationship to continue, you must continue creating value. When creating relationships with Whos, ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” When creating a vision, be sure that vision aligns with your Whos’ objectives and clearly helps them achieve what they personally want.

“Successful givers are every bit as ambitious as takers and matchers. They simply have a different way of pursuing their goals. . . . If you insist on a quid pro quo every time you help others, you will have a much narrower network. . . . Givers succeed in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them.”

“Surround yourself with people who remind you more of the future than the past.”

Psychological research has found that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits: Physical Stronger immune systems Less bothered by aches and pains Lower blood pressure Exercise more and take better care of their health Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking Psychological Higher levels of positive emotions More alert, alive, and awake More joy and pleasure More optimism and happiness Social More helpful, generous, and compassionate More forgiving More outgoing Feel less lonely and isolated CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS Never enter a relationship without having first created value in that relationship. Never stop creating value and nurturing your relationships. Always ask “What’s in it for them?” rather than “What’s in it for me?” Know what the other person cares about. Get to know them, their context, and their goals. Give relevant value. Don’t waste their time. Do your homework. If you want to develop transformational relationships, then approach relationships in a transformational, rather than transactional, way. Bring a result to the table. Make the pie bigger for everyone involved. Don’t come with big promises of future results. Bring immediate results. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Be a generous giver who is truly committed to service and growth, not status. Be nice to the people you meet on the way up because they are the same people you meet on the way down. Be grateful in large and small ways to the people in your life and you’ll att...

“Personal confidence comes from making progress toward goals that are far bigger than your present capabilities.” CHAPTER TAKEAWAYS In order to have Freedom of Relationship, you can no longer engage with people that don’t align with your vision. You can build buffers and systems to ensure you no longer directly work with people who aren’t relevant. As you say no to people and opportunities that don’t align with the vision of your future self, your confidence will increase. Your team will also become more confident in you as a leader. Your current self no longer tolerates situations and people that your former self once tolerated. Your future self will not tolerate nor engage with situations or people that you currently tolerate. As you make courageous decisions based on the future you want to create, you can make bolder leaps into your freedom and success.