The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
Learn to delegate tasks effectively and focus on your unique abilities.
What was the first thing you did the last time you set a goal? If you're like most individuals, you undoubtedly began by asking yourself, "How can I accomplish this?" However, while this is a perfectly logical first step, there are better ones; in fact, it frequently leads you down an unpleasant path. Suddenly, all of the responsibility, worry, and pressure are on your shoulders alone.
So, what can you do about this? In the following overview, you'll learn to search for a Who rather than a How. Through examples from the co-authors' colleagues and coaching clients, you'll learn the enormous worth of making this mentality shift. Finding someone to take over activities that you don't need to do yourself may free up time to focus on areas where you genuinely thrive, such as corporate vision or strategy or personal goals like spending more time with your family.
In this brief, you will learn.
Why did the Chicago Bulls need more than Michael Jordan to win an NBA championship?
How to turn more time into more money, and
the critical distinction between transactional and transformational relationships.
1. "Whos" enables you to focus on your particular strengths and achieve your objectives.
The year is 1984. The Chicago Bulls have just drafted a talented young basketball star. His name is Michael Jordan, and it's evident that he's one of the NBA's top players, if not the best.
Despite the emerging star's best efforts, Jordan's first three seasons with the Bulls were marred by early playoff elimination. For the Bulls, Jordan's exceptional athletic prowess simply does not convert into championship victories - or even making it past the first round of the playoffs.
Rather than finding out how to win a championship alone, Jordan requires assistance from someone who can complement his incredible abilities in the setting of a team sport. Jordan needs a Who, not a How.
The essential message here is: Who can assist you in focusing on your particular strengths and achieving your goals?
When you hire someone to help you with a project or a goal, you discover someone who can take on responsibilities that are not part of your core competencies. Jordan, as it turned out, required a few Whos before the Bulls launched on their historic six-title winning streak. The first arrived in 1987, a rookie named Scottie Pippen, who assisted Jordan in improving his own game while also developing as a team player. Even so, the Bulls failed to reach the finals for the next three seasons, owing to their reliance on Jordan's single powers. Jordan and Pippen required someone with the vision to build the team into a cohesive powerhouse.
When Phil Jackson became the Bulls' head coach in 1989, he quickly understood that, while many players were exceptionally gifted, he needed to devise a system that involved the entire team. He referred to this as the triangle offence. The Bulls honed this tactic during the next few years, winning six championships from 1991 to 1998. Jordan's virtuosity would not have been enough to achieve all of this.
The Chicago Bulls' journey to victory is more than simply a good story. It also raises a fundamental question about the Who, Not How philosophy. If one of the greatest basketball players of all time used multiple Whos to attain his goals, how about you? What are your goals, and who can assist you achieve them?
2. "Whos" enlarge your perspective and boost your effectiveness.
When Richie Norton, author and entrepreneur, was 16, all he wanted to do was acquire a job and start making his own money.
Because usual summer employment at grocery stores and petrol stations required a lot of effort for little income, Richie's father proposed a new path. He urged him to call all of the local watermelon farms and ask if he could buy any malformed or weirdly sized watermelons at a discount and then sell them to individuals who didn't need perfect watermelons.
Richie began calling people who he felt could be interested in purchasing a watermelon ahead of the Fourth of July celebrations. They sold out within hours. And, thanks to his Who - his father, Richie had the remainder of the summer to do whatever he pleased.
The essential idea here is to extend your view and increase your effectiveness.
16-year-old Richie Norton would never have considered the watermelon idea on his own. When you receive the appropriate kind of help, it may broaden your view of what is possible and increase your potential.
That is the concept behind the Self-Expansion Model, created by psychologists Dr. Elaine Aron and Dr. Arthur Aron. According to this approach, your efficacy, or how effective you are at delivering results, is determined by context rather than absolute talent. In other words, your potential is not fixed; it varies depending on who is around you. Richie's environment - having a supportive mom who was prepared to share ideas - was far more crucial than any natural sales aptitude he possessed. Contrary to popular belief, whether you do anything yourself is irrelevant. In the end, the results are what matters.
So, if your efficacy can shift for the better or worse, what is the most excellent approach to increase it? Through intimate relationships, you can have access to resources that will help you achieve your goals. These resources can be tangible, such as money or property. However, they can also take the form of someone's time, assistance, or opinion.
Consider your life today and ask a few questions to determine who should check these boxes. For example, what business or personal goals are you pursuing on your own? If no one else is participating, your vision may benefit from a Who and the additional viewpoint it provides.
Involving others in the same objective frequently necessitates an expenditure of time or money. As an added plus, including other people, particularly Whos, boosts your own dedication.
3. Procrastination can be detrimental to your confidence and well-being, but it is also a sign of knowledge.
What comes to mind when you hear the term procrastination? Do you consider the 90% of college students who are chronic procrastinators? You may envision an aspiring entrepreneur eager to turn a company idea into reality.
Whatever the situation, most individuals can relate to some degree of procrastination. And, all too frequently, it is the negative consequences that give procrastination such a terrible reputation. Procrastination has particularly negative psychological impacts, amplifying emotions of guilt and shame, lowering self-esteem, and potentially worsening symptoms of depression and physical health problems.
However, there is a silver lining: procrastination indicates that you have a worthwhile aim or ambition. You simply need to gain the necessary knowledge or skills to complete the task on your own.
The essential takeaway here is that procrastination can be detrimental to your confidence and well-being, but it can also be a sign of wisdom.
The practice of procrastinating work or ideas only limits your imagination - and your perception of yourself. You can eventually stop believing that you are capable of achieving large ambitions. It's a trend that, if left unchecked, will continue to work against you.
To put an end to it, take direct action. When you have a goal in mind, understand that you cannot achieve it alone and ask Who can assist you.
To effectively answer this question, you must be really clear about your goals and needs. Only then will you be able to identify the appropriate people for the job?
Dan Sullivan, the inventor of the Who Not How philosophy, created a worksheet to accomplish just that. It's called an Impact Filter. This is how it works.
First, describe in detail your motivation, the objective of the project, and the impact it will have. Do you want to expand your business, increase your income, or have more spare time? Be specific.
Next, ask yourself, "What is the best possible outcome if I take action right now?" Consider what will happen if you do not take action; what is at risk?
Finally, put out the results that must be reached before you can consider the project a success. If a potential Employee is aware of the intended outcomes, she will be better able to assist you in achieving your goal.
4. Freedom of time translates into financial freedom.
After years as a real estate agent in Toronto, Dean Jackson decided to go to Florida and start a business coaching other agents. In 1997, he teamed up with a friend to host monthly coaching events. He wanted to devote all of his attention to his new business, so he hired someone to clean his Orlando condominium once each week.
Then it dawned on him: Mandy, the person who cleaned his house every week, was capable of much more than just cleaning. What if she could get Jackson's condo "one week ready"?" That entailed cleaning the house and car, going grocery shopping, and doing laundry, all of which would significantly free up Jackson's schedule.
So he asked, and Mandy agreed! She would make more money, and Jackson would have more time to expand his firm.
The main point here is that freedom of time leads to freedom of money.
By investing in a Who, Jackson expanded his income potential. Hiring someone fresh costs money. However, in the long run, he had more time to devote to higher-impact tasks, such as establishing his vision for the coaching firm and focusing on income-growth initiatives.
When converting freedom of time into freedom of money, there is one critical question to consider: Do I genuinely want to devote my focus to this task, or may it be spent more effectively elsewhere?
Jacob Monty, a labour and immigration attorney, has often raised this question over the last decade. For example, Monty saw how much time and effort he was wasting travelling himself to and from client appointments in Houston, Texas, where he lived. Being late to meetings added stress. And gridlocked traffic merely contributed to his decision fatigue. It was tiresome and unneeded. So he hired a Who - a driver to handle all road safety duties.
During these travels, which lasted around 90 minutes, he could peruse materials and prepare for hearings. Most individuals consider spending $50 on a private driver or Uber to be a significant upfront cost. However, with the extra time and mental clarity he obtained, Monty was able to increase the effect of his client encounters, often resulting in thousands of dollars in additional revenue.
Eliminating nonessential decisions is a necessary part of achieving goals, no matter how ambitious. What is the best approach to accomplish that? Delegate responsibilities to the Who.
5. Transformational leaders focus on results rather than processes.
Nicole Wipp, a Michigan attorney, launched her own legal company following the 2008 financial crisis. She started up with no workers, so she was in charge of everything, from phone contacts with customers to court appearances, not to mention emails, research, and legal writing. After a year and a half of brutal 80- to 100-hour workweeks, she realized something needed to change.
Wipp was an experienced attorney, but even after working long hours, she lacked both time and financial freedom. The truth is, she did not have to do everything herself. In reality, others were better suited to many of her responsibilities.
The main takeaway here is that transformational leaders prioritize results above processes.
When a leader insists on doing everything herself, it leads to burnout and poor performance. It also indicates that she still needs to clarify her vision. In Wipp's instance, prioritizing the process - the How - above the outcome was holding her back. And when she went looking for someone to help her run her business, the first person she met could have been more helpful. But that was because Wipp had yet to define her vision for her life and business, so she needed to figure out what impact she wanted the Who to have.
When she saw why she needed support and how it would benefit her personal life and financially, implementing Whos into her legal company got a lot easier. Delegating work was similarly effective. Wipp understood that she needed time away from work to recover. She hired numerous full-time employees to join her team, and each was assigned to produce outcomes in specific areas.
Furthermore, she grew more committed to both sides of the equation, supporting her colleagues as needed while emphasizing her personal well-being. In psychology, this is referred to as escalation of commitment. The more you invest in anything, such as a goal or project, the more dedicated you are to it.
Employees benefit from their leaders' increased commitment. Transformational leadership theory states that leaders such as Wipp not only invest in their Whos but also challenge and mentor them. Promoting creativity in your team increases each member's autonomy and encourages independent thinking. Finally, transformative leaders motivate all involved to share the same level of commitment.
6. Creating value in all interactions guarantees that they are transformational, not transactional.
You've seen how helpful someone can be with the appropriate vision and dedication. But what if you are also someone else's Who? The universe of Who Not How is typically a two-way street. Someone may be assisting you in achieving a goal, but you can also help them realize their own dreams.
A critical component of success is offering value to others because neither freedom of time nor freedom of money is possible without freedom of relationship - the ability to connect with anyone with whom you choose to exchange value.
The urge to view people in terms of your own goals is reasonable. However, in order to maintain partnerships, simply asking, "What's in it for me?" is not a sustainable method. Instead, approach potential Whos with a plan for how you might assist them, asking, "What's in it for them?""
The essential idea here is to create value in all relationships so that they are transformational rather than transactional.
By focusing on the value you can offer others, you'll have access to more individuals who will be more motivated to assist you.
That's the philosophy that drives Joe Polish's genius groups, Genius Network and GeniusX. Joe has been dubbed "the most connected man in business," and this is mainly due to the networking concepts he has created.
When a Pole gave to industrialist Richard Branson's charitable foundation Virgin Unite, he was invited to a meal with Branson and a limited group of benefactors. While the other contributors were focused on extracting as much value as possible from Branson, Polish took the opposite approach. He spent the dinner demonstrating how he could add value for Branson.
Branson requested Polish to write down his plan to raise donations with an instructive video. Polish was the only donor present who received Branson's personal email address. Years later, Polish and Branson continue to interact, with Polish becoming Virgin Unite's most significant fundraiser. He's been faithful to the "What's in it for them?" Mindset. What was the result? He has proceeded to provide constant value while nurturing his relationship with one of the world's most exclusive business executives.
There is one more vital component to transforming relationships: appreciation. People need to have their efforts recognized and appreciated. When you accept Who's assistance, express genuine thankfulness. Thank her and demonstrate that you understand the significance of her job. A humble, grateful attitude can help you retain good relationships while also attracting other Whos.
7. Collaboration increases your freedom of purpose.
Remember when you were in elementary school? How frequently were you and your classmates encouraged to work together on homework and exams? Most people would undoubtedly think this was unusual. Because children are commonly taught from a young age that accepting help from others is considered cheating. So, it's no surprise that this viewpoint lingers into adulthood, where seeking treatment is fraught with shame.
This mindset also values seclusion over collaboration, even if it restricts your growth. Here's the problem: refusing all assistance limits your freedom of purpose or your ability to form relationships with other people. However, by treating collaborative partnerships as a requirement rather than a luxury, you can expand the scope of your project.
The main point here is that collaboration increases your flexibility of purpose.
Karen Nance, a San Francisco attorney, had intended to write a biography on her grandmother, Ethel Ray Nance, for more than 20 years. Ray had been a well-known civil rights leader, and Nance was anxious to share her tale with the world. Nance, as her granddaughter, had unprecedented access to intimate information that no one else would know. However, once she began writing, she quickly discovered that writing a biography from the start is difficult.
Over time, progress slowed. It became a never-ending project. Nance had completed almost 200 disconnected pages when she got an email from Dr. Ethelene Whitmire, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin. Whitmire, an authority in Black feminist history, was writing a biography of none other than Nance's grandmother! As fascinating as this was, her initial instinct was defensiveness: they were suddenly rival biographers. If she revealed part of her confidential information, she would lose the upper hand.
After contacting Dan Sullivan, who introduced her to Who Not How Nance recognized that she had a fantastic chance; she suggested to Whitmire that they write the biography together, not as competitors but as co-authors. Nance could supply unique biographical information, although Whitmire had academic credentials and had previously authored another biography. This partnership ensured that Nance's grandmother received the accolades she deserved, with a level of detail that neither Nance nor Whitmire could have achieved alone. Nance could also use the time she wasn't working on the book to work on other projects, such as her human rights foundation. While focusing on How she caused stress and loneliness, moving to a Who perspective allowed her to accomplish much more.
Final Summary
By shifting from a How mentality to a Who mentality, you can do more than you could on your own. When working toward a goal, engage those who can assist with time-consuming chores. With your newfound free time, you may focus on higher-impact activities that can increase your income. Finally, by pursuing relationships, producing value for others, and showing genuine thanks to those who help you, you will be able to improve your results and broaden your vision.
Here's some more helpful advice: Use the 80 per cent rule to develop projects rapidly.
It takes work to produce flawless results on the first try. Instead of attempting to polish every minor element before submitting your ideas for comments, leave the perfecting to Whos. You can quickly progress from zero to 80 per cent on a project, but getting from 80 to 100 per cent takes substantially more time and effort. Focus on doing what you do best for the first 80%, and let Whos handle the rest.