What does the principle "First Who, Then What" emphasize?

• A. Place the right people in the right place and let the wrong people go, before setting a new vision and strategy
• B. Set the vision and strategy before placing people
• C. Hire exclusively from outside the organization
• D. Delay decisions about people until after the vision is stabilized

Answer: (A)

The idea here is to get the right people in the right roles before setting a vision and strategy. The belief is that the ability to execute a change hinges more on who is on the team than on the specificity of the plan itself. When you place the right people in key positions, they bring the necessary skills, judgment, and adaptability to shape a feasible direction and to drive the change forward. If you start with a new vision and strategy while the team isn’t a good match, even the best plans can stall or fail because execution depends on people buying in, applying their strengths, and adapting as needed. By ensuring the team fits the effort—placing the right people where they can contribute and letting go of those who won’t support the change—you create a foundation that makes the subsequent vision and strategy more realistic and attainable. This approach also allows you to align talent with the evolving direction, rather than forcing a plan onto a team that isn’t prepared to execute it. The other options shift focus to the vision first, or rely solely on external hires, which can overlook internal capabilities and the importance of sustainable change driven by the people doing the work.