“People often make the mistake of focusing on what should be done while neglecting the more important question of who should be given the responsibility for determining what should be done. That's backward.”
WHO Over WHAT
From Ray Dalio’s work principle “Remember That the WHO Is More Important than the WHAT” in Principles: Life & Work (Simon & Schuster, 2017); the quote is the principle’s opening sentence (principles.com).
The claim is narrower than the usual “great people matter more than great plans.” Dalio’s WHO is the person who holds deciding authority over the task itself: “who should be given the responsibility for determining what should be done.” The reflex he is pushing against starts with the task (“here’s what we need done”) and then assigns (“now who can do it?”). His order is the reverse. Pick the person who owns the decision, and the what comes from them.