Know Who: Knowing the Right People to Do the Work

Know Who Entrepreneurship involves Know Why—knowing why you are doing something; Know How—knowing how to do it; Know What—knowing what to do; Know When—knowing when to act; and Know Where—knowing where to begin. I would add one more: Know Who. Know Who means knowing the right people to do the work and the right people to consult. Recognizing talent, assigning it well, and matching people to suitable roles can also determine success. There is, however, one major prerequisite: you must be able to persuade the right people to join your side. For example, a major reason Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, could rise from a local ruffian to defeat Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu—whose strength could uproot mountains and whose spirit overshadowed the world—was his ability to recognize and make use of talent. Even if you are not good at everything, you can still solve problems effectively by finding the right people for each task, trusting them, and letting them get on with it.