{"id":53775,"date":"2021-11-07T11:16:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T15:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=53775"},"modified":"2021-11-12T08:58:16","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T12:58:16","slug":"who-not-how-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/who-not-how-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Not How Book Advice: Invest in Personnel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does the book Who Not How <\/em>say about investing in personnel? How can spending money to hire more employees<\/a> benefit you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their book Who Not How,<\/em> Sullivan and Hardy give four reasons why you should hire more personnel. They say that having more personnel will grow your business faster, will make you more money, will improve your personal relationships, and will help you optimize your purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why you should invest in more personnel, according to Sullivan and Hardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Personnel Speed Up Your Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In their book Who Not How,<\/em> authors Sullivan and Hardy describe four ways in which investment in personnel creates stellar results in your business and outside of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first advantage to investing in personnel is that doing so increases the amount of time you have and how effectively that time is spent. According to Hardy and Sullivan, the most effective way to spend time is in whatever way achieves the best results as quickly as possible<\/strong>\u2014and most entrepreneurs, they explain, don\u2019t do that. Because they prioritize costs, many entrepreneurs address problems by spending their time instead of their money, wasting both in pursuit of a subpar result. Instead, the authors argue, you should reclaim your time\u2014improving your own effectiveness and<\/em> your outcomes\u2014by hiring personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Time management is crucial for entrepreneurs<\/a> because they\u2019re responsible for an entire company\u2019s results\u2014as such, there\u2019s always<\/em> a task waiting for them, and there\u2019s always a better way to spend their time. Hiring personnel frees up time better spent on tasks that make more money<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors describe three ways in which you\u2019re likely wasting your time, and explain how personnel can help you with each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Struggling Alone Is a Waste of Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An expert accomplishes your goal faster and<\/em> better than you can because they already have the necessary skill set. They know what to do, so they don\u2019t procrastinate; instead, they make the best move right away, achieving the best result as quickly as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Even though, as Sullivan and Hardy state, handing off tasks to experts is optimal for efficiency, many leaders resist doing so. There are two primary reasons why entrepreneurs can be reluctant to delegate<\/a>: Either their single-player mindset means they\u2019re used to doing everything themselves, or they feel so responsible for their company\u2019s outcomes that they\u2019re not comfortable relinquishing control. Remember that as an entrepreneur, your job is to do what nobody else can\u2014to lead, build, and promote your business\u2014not to do rank-and-file work. Leave that to your employees.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Engaging Halfheartedly Is a Waste of Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being the right person for a task is about more than just having the knowledge and resources to do it: You do your best work when you\u2019re engaged and excited. When you\u2019re not, you don\u2019t just waste your <\/em>time\u2014you also waste the time of anyone who relies on you to be their<\/em> expert. That\u2019s right: You, too, are \u201cpersonnel\u201d to someone, whether that\u2019s your shareholders or your spouse, and when you waste your time, you diminish their <\/em>outcomes. Leave every task you don\u2019t love to a passionate expert, and spend your time doing your best at what you love most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Entrepreneurs often highlight the importance of passion for their work because it\u2019s a powerful motivating factor<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s where you draw your vision and purpose from. Passion is particularly important because starting a business is often difficult and emotionally taxing; without passion, it\u2019s easy to believe you should give up. The more you engage with aspects of your business that you\u2019re not<\/em> passionate about, the less motivated you\u2019ll be\u2014and the more wasted your time will feel.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Unnecessarily Expending Energy Is a Waste of Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sullivan and Hardy explain that making decisions and completing tasks costs energy, and when you\u2019re low on energy you make poor decisions<\/a> and achieve subpar results. When you hire a cook or an accountant, you reclaim the energy to make great decisions and produce excellent results in other areas. Maximize your own effectiveness by minimizing the number of decisions and tasks you handle personally\u2014so you can focus all<\/em> your energy where it\u2019s most valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Bezos, Buffett, and Obama all agree that the fewer decisions you make each day, the better those decisions are<\/a>. Each time you make a decision<\/a>, your brain expends energy and focus. Furthermore, some researchers believe that making too many decisions<\/a> in a row\u2014particularly without breaks\u2014leads to progressively less thoughtful decisions<\/a>. To maximize the quality of your decisions, Bezos says, only make three high-impact decisions a day\u2014ideally, before lunch.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Personnel Create More Money, Faster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second advantage to investing in personnel, the authors say, is that doing so optimizes your rate of income and expansion. According to the authors, investing in high-quality personnel kickstarts an ever-expanding cycle of growth for your business ventures.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you\u2019ve invested in experts, the authors explain, you\u2019re now efficiently producing stellar results, effectively elevating your business and validating your decision to hire experts. Your personnel will continue to optimize and improve the process they\u2019re engaged in, generating better results faster and further improving your income. They won\u2019t need your help to do it, so you\u2019ll reclaim your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Once you kickstart this cycle of growth, you\u2019ll inevitably need to expand your team to keep up. Team growth can become difficult to handle; you\u2019ll inevitably hit a stumbling block once your team grows to between 25 and 40 people<\/a>. At this point, it becomes impossible for one leader to manage every employee or for each employee to see the whole picture. You\u2019ll need to set up management structures and autonomous teams and change the way you communicate.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for what to do with that time, Sullivan and Hardy explain that you personally generate the most revenue when you commit your time<\/em> to generating revenue. In other words, hire personnel to free you from every possible task\u2014from cleaning your house to buying your shoes\u2014and instead prioritize tasks that make you money.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: You may take this as a recommendation to spend your reclaimed time working, but that\u2019s not the case at all\u2014when you work as much as you can, as most entrepreneurs do, you actually decrease<\/em> your productivity. Instead, use your reclaimed time to rest more<\/a> and maximize your ability to be creative and decisive: Aim to work a maximum of six hours a day, primarily in the mornings, and take frequent, small vacations<\/a>. Doing so gives you time to clarify your vision and reignite your purpose\u2014which, as an entrepreneur, is the most important part of your job.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Save Money; Spend It to Solve Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As your resource pool increases, the authors suggest you continue to ask, \u201cWho can solve this problem <\/strong>for<\/em><\/strong> me?\u201d<\/strong> and don\u2019t allow yourself to return to a cost-focused mindset. If you find yourself worrying about cost and feel tempted to stop spending so much money on personnel, remember that cost-effectiveness usually only causes more problems. Indeed, the authors explain that money is valuable primarily because you can spend it to solve problems.<\/strong> According to them, the optimal solution to any <\/em>problem will always be the same: Find the right person to solve the issue and pay them to do so. Don\u2019t do it yourself and don\u2019t cheap out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n