Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s Who Not How challenges a deeply ingrained habit in high-performing organizations. When faced with a new challenge, most people immediately ask, “How do we do this?” The book argues that this is often the wrong question.
The better question is simpler and far more powerful: Who can help us do this better than we ever could on our own?
The Core Idea
Who Not How makes the case that growth accelerates when leaders stop trying to solve everything themselves and instead focus on finding the right people to solve the right problems.
The book encourages readers to:
Stop defaulting to personal effort as the solution
Identify gaps in capability instead of forcing internal workarounds
Build teams and partnerships around strengths, not heroics
Progress slows when organizations obsess over effort. It speeds up when they invest in people.
Why This Resonates With Us
At Optimize Consulting, this principle shapes how we work every day.
For our clients, we often become the “who.” Instead of asking internal teams to stretch beyond their expertise, we step in with proven systems, experience, and execution. That allows organizations to move faster without sacrificing quality.
Internally, the same philosophy guides how we build our team. We focus on hiring specialists, not generalists who are expected to do everything. Clear ownership and complementary strengths allow us to deliver best-in-class service without burnout or bottlenecks.
From Talent to Outcomes
One of the book’s most practical lessons is that delegation is not about offloading tasks. It is about multiplying results. When the right people own the right responsibilities, organizations gain clarity, consistency, and momentum.
That is true whether you are building a leadership team, outsourcing a critical function, or choosing a long-term partner.
The Takeaway
Who Not How is a reminder that sustainable growth does not come from doing more. It comes from surrounding yourself with the right people and letting them do what they do best.
If you want to move faster, build smarter, and create lasting impact, stop asking how. Start asking who.
