The Big Idea: “How do I achieve this goal?” Although this question seems intuitive, it’s actually the worst possible question you could ask. A much better question is: “Who can help me achieve this?”
It takes vulnerability and trust to expand your efforts and build a winning team. It takes wisdom to recognize that other people are more than capable enough to handle much of the Hows. You’re going to need to shift from a How-mentality to a Who-mentality, regardless of your level of personal talent, commitment, or genius.
Who Not How is truly that simple. You define the vision, find the Who or Whos, and let them create the result.
“There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Not only must the Who fully own the How, but they must have complete permission to do so. If you’re going to apply higher levels of teamwork in your life, you’ll need to relinquish control over how things get done. You’ll need to put your trust in capable Whos, giving them full permission to own their Hows.
CHAPTER 1 “WHOS” CREATE ABUNDANCE AND SELF-EXPANSION
The way you increase your potential efficacy, or self-expansion, is by creating close relationships, which in turn, increases material and social resources, perspectives, and identities.
If you’re focused on doing everything yourself, then you are dramatically limiting the resources you can direct toward your goals.
Relationships are how you produce results. Anyone who becomes highly successful does so through relationships. Employees, collaborators, and consultants work for you not because they are beneath you, but because they believe in you.
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”
Getting Whos involved in your goals is an investment.
CHAPTER 2 THE TRUTH ABOUT PROCRASTINATION AND HOW TO KILL IT
Ask yourself: Who can help me accomplish this goal?
The first thing we must learn then is to clearly define what we want.
You’ll need to ensure your vision also matches their vision for themselves, and that you can clearly become a powerful Who to them.
That’s one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs and leaders make: micromanaging their Whos and insisting that they do their jobs in a particular way. Let your Who do their How.
Leadership involves being clear and explicit about the vision.
There are countless brilliant and capable Whos out there waiting and wanting to help you.
CHAPTER 3 FIND WHOS FOR ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE
Breaking down your goals into 90-day increments is good for focus and motivation.
Add at least one Who to your goals in the next 90 days in whatever area of your life you choose.
Your potential is virtually limitless when you stop asking “How?” and start asking “Who?”
Every 90 days, you can free up your time, energy, and focus by getting Whos to support your ambitions in all aspects of your life.
CHAPTER 4 TIME CREATES MONEY
“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” —Peter Drucker
Every time you free yourself up by investing in a Who, you’ve just made a huge investment in yourself. You no longer have to deal with decision fatigue.
Remember the new question you must master: “Who can help me achieve this goal?”
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.
CHAPTER 5 COMMIT TO SPECIFIC RESULTS
Every human being has three basic psychological needs related to their work: mastery, autonomy, relationships.
Too many leaders obsessively micromanage the process of their Whos.
It is the role of the leader to determine the “what” and to provide clarity, feedback, and direction when needed. It is not the role of the leader to explain how the job is done.
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 of excellence.
CHAPTER 6 IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, YOU DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM
By doing everything yourself, you miss out on unfathomable growth that comes by investing in Whos and utilizing your time and efforts on higher impact activities.
When you’re investment-minded, you’re not short-term in your thinking. You consider the bigger picture, and you look at how you can help the right people, without coming across as transactional.
If you’re cost-minded, then by nature, you’re transactional and short-term focused. You’ll see Whos as a cost.
If you’re investment-minded, then you will be transformational in your relationships and long-term focused.
Focusing on How will greatly limit your ability to make money.
When you focus on How, it’s often based on a scarcity mind-set and cost avoidance.
By seeing Whos as an investment, rather than a cost, you can quickly 10X or more your income and revenue.
CHAPTER 7 HOW TO BE A GOOD WHO FOR OTHERS
The remainder of this chapter details Joe Polish’s philosophy and strategies on relationships.
Rather than asking, “What’s in it for me?” which is the common question, Joe asks, “What’s in it for them?”
Before Joe connects with someone, he does his homework.
When creating relationships with Whos, ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”
When you’re grateful, people will want to help you more. They’ll want to work with you and be around you. Gratitude attracts and creates abundance.
CHAPTER 8 HOW TO AVOID THE WRONG WHOS, EVEN HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE ONES
When you begin saying “no” to people, obligations, and situations you don’t feel fully aligned with in your gut, then and only then will you be able to expand your confidence and purpose.
CHAPTER 9 HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIONS
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” —Reid Hoffman
You’ve got to be open to other people’s ideas. You are only one person. As brilliant as you are, your current views are very limited at best.
Done is better than perfect.
Wherever you see brilliant work happening, collaboration is happening. You don’t have all the answers.
It’s wise to consider yourself ignorant on most things, and to seek other people’s perspectives and solutions.
Ask for help when you need it.
Seek to be a hero to those you work with, and you’ll do your best work for them.
CHAPTER 10 STOP COMPETING AND START COLLABORATING
Focusing on “How” makes you rigid and non-collaborative in your thinking.
Focusing on “How” stresses you out, because you’re already busy and can’t juggle it all.
Focusing on “How” leads you to being isolated in your goals, and ultimately slows your progress.
Collaboration immediately expands your Freedom of Purpose and vision, because what you can do with others is exponentially more than what you can do by yourself.
Collaboration allows you to focus on what you want to focus on and not feel guilty about getting help.
CHAPTER 11 WHOS EXPAND YOUR VISION AND PURPOSE
While touring NASA, JFK introduced himself to a janitor who was mopping the floor and asked him what he did at NASA. The janitor’s reply was both surprising and inspiring. “I’m helping put a man on the moon!” he told the president.
When driven by purpose, you stop doing the minimum required. You really go deep within yourself. You become a creator. You become willing to go above and beyond the “call of duty.”