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Watch Video of that discovery

What is who* not What?

What a leader does may get attention, but it’s not what really leads to effective leadership and lasting results. Research shows that two categories—Inwardly Sound and Others Focused—are the determining factors in leadership effectiveness. In fact, it accounts for 77% of leadership effectiveness.

is this backed up by data?

The Who* Not What Principle was accidentally discovered by unpredicted data results from over 2,000 data points collected from leadership 360s. Over time, the number of data points grew to more than 20,000, and has been corroborated by other companies as well. (see data).

How does Who* Not What guide The Aperio?

Who* Not What is the core of the Aperio Message and Method and is the foundation of all effective leadership development. The Aperio’s Message and Method is most evident in our primary leadership development experience, Journeys by The Aperio.

Imagine someone who is Inwardly Sound and Others Focused but inept in the What of leadership. This kind of leader would lack the ability to pursue vision, think strategically, marshal resources, ensure execution, unleash motivation, cultivate talent, drive culture, and communicate effectively. Would you want to follow an Inwardly Sound and Others Focused leader who lacked these abilities? Me neither. The truth is, we want and need our leaders to understand and apply the What of leadership while also being Inwardly Sound and Others Focused.

The What of leadership may not make up 3/4 of leadership as Who does, but the components of What are vitally important aspects of leadership that deserve attention and intention. The Aperio offers development in those areas as well.  

Who* Not What doesn’t say the only thing that matters about leadership is Who. It identifies Who as the foundation on which the rest of the leader’s abilities are built. Who is the most important factor in reaching our potential as leaders, but it isn’t the only factor.

Leadership development should be holistic

While Who* Not What is central to our leadership message, and serves as the foundation for our leadership development, it is part of a much larger vision for leadership—a vision we call The Leadership Tree.

Every individual and organization should have a holistic vision for leadership development. Too often, leadership development is based off a momentary trend, usually driven by the new message of a talented leadership speaker or author.

We don't want Who* Not What to be another fad. We view Who* Not What as fitting into a vision for a lasting and integrated way to view all of leadership (The Leadership Tree). Our goal is to give our clients a consistent vision that will allow them to see and evaluate their leadership through a holistic lens that accounts for the totality of leadership.

Read The Only Leaders Worth* Following

The Only Leaders Worth Following explores what makes some leaders successful while others fail. In it, Tim Spiker explains the Who* Not What Principle—that becoming a truly great leader is far more about developing who we are as people than improving what we do. In spite of data, logic, and personal experiences that point to it, few leaders intentionally and consciously order their own leadership development or the leadership development within their organizations by this principle.

Free Group Discussion Guide

When we learned the truth of The Who* Not What Principle it completely changed how we saw leadership development and how we saw our careers. Because of that, we wanted to offer a clear and helpful way for this truth to become part of your lives. We created this free study guide to help people go beyond merely learning The Who* Not What Principle, but to meaningfully apply it to their lives. This 7-session guide features weekly reading and discussion questions as well as activities to do together as a group.