Who Not How by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy Summary

Who Not How teaches readers to achieve goals by collaborating with others rather than tackling tasks alone. Authored by entrepreneur Dan Sullivan and psychologist Benjamin Hardy, the book emphasizes delegating to experts (the "Who") to save time, boost productivity, and focus on strengths. It reshapes traditional self-reliance into a teamwork-driven approach for personal and professional growth.

Entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professionals seeking to scale their impact will benefit most. The book is ideal for those overwhelmed by solo efforts, as it provides frameworks to build teams, outsource tasks, and prioritize high-value work. It’s also valuable for creatives or goal-setters wanting to overcome "how" bottlenecks through collaboration.

Yes—readers praise its transformative mindset shift from solo grinding to strategic collaboration. Blinkist calls it "addictive" for goal-oriented audiences, while reviewers highlight actionable steps to gain time freedom and accelerate results. Critics note some concepts aren’t entirely new but agree the synthesis is impactful.

• Collaboration over isolation: Achieve goals faster by leveraging others’ expertise.
• Time freedom: Redirect energy from mundane tasks to visionary work.
• Value exchange: Build relationships by aligning others’ strengths with your goals.
• Infinite potential: "Who" thinking expands possibilities beyond personal limitations.

The authors outline a 4-step process:

1. Clarify your vision or goal.
2. Communicate it widely to attract collaborators.
3. Identify the right "Who" for each task.
4. Support partners to achieve shared outcomes.

This framework helps systematize delegation and partnership-building.

• “Your potential is limitless when you stop asking ‘How?’ and start asking ‘Who?’”
• “Results, not effort, is the name of the game”.
• “Never enter a relationship without first creating value”.

These emphasize outcomes, collaboration, and mutual benefit.

Some argue the "Who" approach isn’t novel, but the book counters by providing modern examples—like Sullivan co-writing with Hardy—and frameworks to operationalize collaboration. It also stresses ethical delegation, distinguishing it from exploitative outsourcing.

By teaching readers to delegate technical tasks (e.g., website design) to experts, they can focus on high-impact skills like leadership or innovation. A marketer might hire a video editor to scale content creation while strategizing campaigns.

While Atomic Habits focuses on individual behavior change, Who Not How emphasizes team-driven achievement. The books complement each other—building personal discipline while outsourcing non-core tasks.

With remote work and AI collaboration tools booming, the book’s principles align with trends toward distributed teams and specialization. Its focus on leveraging global talent pools remains timely.

Sullivan’s The Gap and The Gain and The Laws of Lifetime Growth explore similar themes of mindset shifts and proactive growth. Hardy’s Willpower Doesn’t Work dovetails with Who Not How’s emphasis on environmental design over solo effort.

Success is measured by results achieved through others, not personal effort. The book equates freedom with redirecting time to passions while trusted "Whos" handle execution.