Who Not How — Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy

Summary in 15 minutes. Change the first question you ask on the way to a big goal. Not "How do I do this myself?" but "Who could do this well?" Sullivan says entrepreneurs want four freedoms: time, money, relationship and purpose. The right Who grows all four. Get clear on the goal before you look for a Who. Then let go of the task, and become a good Who for others yourself. You've finished reading. Now split up your work, find your first Who and hand over your first task.

Key ideas of "Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork"

From How to Who

Change the first question you ask on the way to a big goal. Not "How do I do this myself?" but "Who could do this well?"

1. Two Authors, One Question: Dan Sullivan, Benjamin Hardy and how the book was born
2. The How Trap: Why trying to learn and do everything yourself holds you back
3. The Who Question: The what and why are yours; the how is theirs

The Four Freedoms

Sullivan says entrepreneurs want four freedoms: time, money, relationship and purpose. The right Who grows all four.

1. Freedom of Time: Money comes back; time doesn't
2. Freedom of Money: A Who is an investment, not a cost
3. Freedom of Relationship: Who you work with is your choice
4. Freedom of Purpose: A bigger goal means a bigger team

The Right Who, the Right Way

Get clear on the goal before you look for a Who. Then let go of the task, and become a good Who for others yourself.

1. The Impact Filter: Your project on one page
2. Letting Go: Describe the result, not the route
3. Become a Who Yourself: Collaboration runs both ways

Take Action

You've finished reading. Now split up your work, find your first Who and hand over your first task.

1. 7-Day Action Plan: One task a day. Tick it off when done.
2. One-Page Cheat Sheet: The whole book at a glance. Save it.
3. Final Word: Together, Not Alone: The simple path to big goals

From the free first chapter

Dan Sullivan has coached entrepreneurs for decades. In 1989, with his wife Babs Smith, he built Strategic Coach in Toronto, Canada. Business owners come back year after year to rethink their work and their lives. One of his best-known lessons is just three words long: Who Not How.

Benjamin Hardy is an organisational psychologist with a PhD from Clemson University. He wrote Willpower Doesn't Work and Personality Isn't Permanent. The two published Who Not How together in 2020.

Read the first chapter free · Price: ৳250 · or every book with a membership