Arthur Johnson's Key Ideas from Who Not How
by Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy

The “Who Not How” approach is not about exploiting others. It’s about building a collaborative network where each person can offer his/her unique strengths while leveraging others’ strengths.

To find the right “Who”, you must:

• Get clear on what you want.

• Communicate your vision widely.

• Ask “who can help me achieve this?”

• Once you’ve found your Who, engage and support them to realize the shared vision.

Each of us has only 24 hours a day. How well you master your time determines how much you can accomplish. With the right “Whos”, you can focus on doing what you love and are great at, spend less time on the things you hate or are bad at, and tap on others strengths/resources. The outcome = exponentially better results, personal growth and less procrastination.

To really succeed and reach a higher level of performance, you have to shift from a How-mentality to a Who-mentality. By focusing on who you work with rather than trying to do everything yourself, you'll find your levels of achievement will rise at the same time as you get dramatically more freedom. It's a win-win situation.

When you're thinking about a new project, or how to take your current project to the next level, think "Who Not How". Just this simple change of mindset can and will be a game-changer.

Creating 10X or 100X results in your life and business may initially sound ridiculous, but it is fundamental to applying Who Not How. You need bigger goals. You need a bigger vision. 

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. Those are the types of goals you need to start envisioning. 

Procrastination is the unfortunate by-product of asking ‘How’ instead of ‘Who?’ Most of the time when you’re procrastinating, you’re saying to yourself this goal is amazing, but you’re not the one to do everything necessary. 

There are countless brilliant and capable ‘Whos’ out there waiting and wanting to help you. But first, as a leader, you need to understand your vision well and clearly articulate it.

To achieve the freedom of money, you must first achieve the freedom of time. And by achieving the freedom of time, you achieve the freedom of your mind and the privilege to focus on higher impact activities which automatically increase your income. Put it simply, improving how you spend your time increases your chances and ability to make money. 

And more often than not, what you need is the right ‘Who’ in a specific area of your life to eliminate decision fatigue in that area. Eliminating decision fatigue should be your primary goal if you want to achieve time and money freedom.

Extreme commitment comes from the clarity of vision and the autonomy to bring that vision to life in whatever way the Who sees fit. That’s why transformational leaders invest in their Whos. They challenge them, help them see the vision and ultimately get them committed as much as they do. 

The belief that you can do all the Hows by yourself is rather a limiting belief. It’s not noble. It’s a scarcity mindset and cost avoidance. And trying to avoid costs by keeping it all on your shoulders only costs you in the long run.

When you start to see Whos as an investment, rather than costs, you can 10X your results, develop transformational relationships and give more than you take. Better yet, when you start to see yourself as an investment, rather than a cost, you expand your freedom of time, money and energy.

Never be afraid to say no to people and opportunities that don’t align with your vision and values. When you start to practice that and walk the talk, your team will become confident in you and your vision. And as you make even more courageous decisions based on the future you want to create, you make even bolder leaps toward your freedom and success.

It’s the collaboration, not ruinous competition, that gives birth to extraordinary results. You’ll never have all the answers, which is fine because you can always seek other people’s perspectives and solutions. Ask for help when you need it. People like to help. Why would you refuse to receive that exact same thing you give to others?

As you grow your Time and Money Freedoms, you’ll meet world-class mentors and collaborators who can bring you and your products/services to even greater heights. You’ll also have the flexibility to connect/partner with people you want to build relationships with.

With more Whos working on your goals, you’ll have more time to focus on the things that you’re good at. This allows you to increase your earning capacity and eventually attain the Freedom of Money (i.e. having enough money to solve most problems).

Each time you add a Who with complementary strengths/resources and fresh perspectives, you address your gaps/weaknesses, free up your time/energy for what matters most, expand your vision, and increase your freedom of time, money and relationships. You become truly free to pursue your dreams instead of getting stuck in the daily grind.