First Who, then How, then What

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Comments

[Steve Sherlock]

Rosa,

Once you done the who, the what I think is more important. The how will take care of itself, IF (yes, big if) we have truly done the right thing to get the proper people on the bus. With the right people on the bus, defining the how can restrict them. I think it is better to tell them the what and let them figure out the how.

[Rosa Say]

Steve, that just hasn't been my own experience. I could make the same argument with The What - that when you have the right people on the bus, they are self-motivated enough to start working on The What pretty much immediately, for they've been recruited for something, and The What is not a total unknown.

I agree with you on being careful not to make The How restrictive: I was moreso referring to behavior, and understanding things like Rules of Engagement in a company (i.e. on the bus) - the how people "play nicely" with each other.

[Dwayne Melancon]

I agree with you, Rosa - I have been involved in too many projects, companies, etc. where "The What" was really amazing, but it got totally screwed up by problems in "The How." Lack of respect, lack of integrity, lack of cooperation, and lack of unified vision can pollute, degrade, and destory even the best "What."

As for the Who vs. How, I think Who is always the dominant constraint, but I still think you should begin with How. Why? Think about it this way:

You can start with the Who, and hope you pick good ones so you wind up with a good How. That's hit-or-miss.

But, if you start with the How, you can then create criteria that will help you select a bunch of Who's that are capable of working in accordance with your ideal How.

This may sound a bit confusing described this way, but remember Covey's advice:
* Begin with the end in mind.

Or - in this case - "Begin with the How in mind."

Mahalo for the provocation, as usual Rosa!