It's not the how or the what but the who : succeed by surrounding yourself with the best

**Succeed by mastering the art of the __who__** Why surround yourself with the best? Because it matters—in all aspects of life. In fact, in professional environments, getting people right—what global leadership authority Claudio Fernández-Aráoz calls “the art of great ‘who’ decisions”—marks the difference between success and failure. To thrive, you need to identify those with the highest potential, get them in your corner and on your team, and help them grow. Yet surprisingly very few of us are able to meet that challenge. This series of short and engaging essays outlines the obstacles to great “who” decisions and offers solutions to address them in a systematic way. Drawing from several decades of experience in global executive search and talent development, as well as the latest management and psychology research, Fernández-Aráoz offers wisdom and practical advice to improve the choices we make about employees and mentors, business partners and friends, top corporate leaders and even elected officials. The personal stories and cutting-edge studies described in the book will help you understand both your own failings and the external forces commonly at play in staffing decisions. The author shares concrete recommendations on how to select the best people, bring out their strengths, foster collective greatness in the groups you’ve assembled, and create not only better organizations but also a better society. Starting with the cases of Amazon pioneer Jeff Bezos and Brazilian tycoon Roger Agnelli and continuing with individual and corporate examples from around the world, Fernández-Aráoz paints a vivid picture of what great “who” decisions look like and presents a fresh and commanding argument about why they matter more than ever today. Copyright 5 Contents 8 Introduction 10 Pt 1: The Enemy Within 22 Ch 1: Prehistoric Hardware; Victorian Software 24 Ch 2: So Sure, but So Wrong 28 Ch 3: Inertia 32 Ch 4: Known Devils 36 Ch 5: The Heat of the Moment 40 Ch 6: Decision Fatigue 44 Part 2: Outside Obstacles and Opportunities 48 Ch 7: The Other GDP 50 Ch 8: The Best and the Rest 54 Ch 9: Blissfully Unaware 58 Ch 10: Bad Candidate, Great Reference 62 Ch 11: The Odds Are Against You 66 Ch 12: The Problem with Democracy 72 Ch 13: Hiring Batting Average 76 Ch 14: Perverse Incentives 80 Part 3: The Right People 84 Ch 15: The Magic Number 86 Ch 16: The Checklist Manifesto, Revisited 90 Ch 17: Nature versus Nuture 94 Ch 18: From Survivor to CEO 98 Ch 19: Marshmallow Kids 102 Ch 20: Fat Calves and Falling Stars 106 Ch 21: Why I Like People with Unconventional Resumes 110 Ch 22: Lightbulbs and CEOs 114 Ch 23: Reading People around the World 118 Part 4: The Bright Future 122 Ch 24: Accelerated Integration 124 Ch 25: Sophie's Choice 128 Ch 26: Teaching a Turkey to Climb a Tree 132 Ch 27: Growth from Complexity 138 Ch 28: Finding Alignment 142 Ch 29: Capuchin Monkeys and Equal Pay 146 Ch 30: Second Chances 150 Part 5: Teams That Thrive 154 Ch 31: Bringing Together Stars 156 Ch 32: Fit for a Purpose 160 Ch 33: From Counting People to Making People Count 164 Ch 34: The Female Opportunity 168 Ch 35: A Culture of Unconditional Love 172 Ch 36: Lone Wolves Starving 176 Ch 37: It's All in the Family 182 Part 6: A Better Society 186 Ch 38: Russian Roulette at the Top 188 Ch 39: True Leading Boards 192 Ch 40: Thriving on Crises 196 Ch 41: Sustainability--the Virtuous Cycle 200 Ch 42: Electing Country Presidents 204 Ch 43: Singapore and Jamaica 208 Ch 44: The Pope 212 Conclusion 216 Notes 220 Acknowledgments 238 Index 244 About the Author 254 "Succeed by mastering the art of the who Why surround yourself with the best? Because it matters-in all aspects of life. In fact, in professional environments, getting people right-what global leadership authority Claudio Fernandez-Araoz calls "the art of great; who' decisions"-marks the difference between success and failure. To thrive, you need to identify those with the highest potential, get them in your corner and on your team, and help them grow. Yet surprisingly very few of us are able to meet that challenge. This series of short and engaging essays outlines the obstacles to great "who" decisions and offers solutions to address them in a systematic way. Drawing from several decades of experience in global executive search and talent development, as well as the latest management and psychology research, Fernandez-Araoz offers wisdom and practical advice to improve the choices we make about employees and mentors, business partners and friends, top corporate leaders and even elected officials. The personal stories and cutting-edge studies described in the book will help you understand both your own failings and the external forces commonly at play in staffing decisions. The author shares concrete recommendations on how to select the best people, bring out their strengths, foster collective greatness in the groups you've assembled, and create not only better organizations but also a better society. Starting with the cases of Amazon pioneer Jeff Bezos and Brazilian tycoon Roger Agnelli and continuing with individual and corporate examples from around the world, Fernandez-Araoz paints a vivid picture of what great "who" decisions look like and presents a fresh and commanding argument about why they matter more than ever today. "-- Provided by publisher