Lasting Contribution: How to Think, Plan, and Act to Accomplish Meaningful Work

by Tad Waddington

A powerful dose of wisdom in a concise package, Lasting Contribution is filled with profound and effective advice on how to make the kinds of contributions — to work, to organizations, to communities — that really matter. Drawing from such varied sources as Aristotle, Sun Tzu, Victor Frankl, and Confucius, this book marshals insights that touch on information theory, sociology, Zen, psychology, art history, management theory, and other fields. Waddington's deft ability to illuminate his ideas using colorful examples — everything from the Titanic and Santa Claus to skateboarding and Oprah's shoes — make the book as engaging as it is wise and thoughtful. Above all, Lasting Contribution offers different benefits to different insightful tips for a better work performance for those looking to improve their careers; practical life-applications for those grappling with high philosophical ideas; and food for thought for thought for anyone seeking to enrich their lives generally.

Genres: Business, Personal Development, Nonfiction

110 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2007

About the author

Tad Waddington says he achieved literacy while getting his MA from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School where he focused on the history of Chinese religions. He achieved numeracy while getting his PhD from the University of Chicago in Measurement, Evaluation and Statistical Analysis. He achieved efficacy as Accenture’s Director of Performance Measurement. As for achieving a legacy, well that remains to be seen.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great deal of thought went into this book and it really connected with me on how a contribution can last with out you even trying, if you are a lasting contributor.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waddington asserts that "lasting contributions are caused. Simply put, you cause a lasting contribution to happen. The problem is that the way people usually think about causality does not serve them well when it comes to thinking about taking action. " Waddington notes that some 2,300 years ago, Aristotle argued that it is useful to think in terms of four causes: material (i.e. of what a thing is made), efficient (i.e. how something is made), formal (i.e. what a thing is), and final (i.e. why a thing is). "This book was written to help you not in the way a hammer helps you to build a house, but in the way a blueprint does. It prepares you for action." He devotes a separate chapter to each of the four causes, explaining its nature and functions, citing examples of it in all manner of situations, and suggesting its relevance to human experiences shared by most of those who read his book. The "blueprint" metaphor is especially appropriate because each person who embarks on the aforementioned journey of discovery is, in effect, preparing to serve as architect of his or her own life. Here four brief excerpts that provide at least some indication of this book's scope and flavor:

"The efficient cause is concerned with taking action to get results, particularly in a complex and dynamic world such as ours...Effective action in a complex world requires considered action - knowing when and how to take action and when not to. But on what do you base your actions? The material cause addresses the issue of your most important resources." (Pages 18)

"The material cause involves the resources that you can use to bring about a lasting contribution...In many ways, the material cause is less concerned with your material assets than with how you cultivate yourself...Consequently, it is important to cultivate yourself so that you can seize the opportunities offered...Next, you need to make full use of your arête [i.e. your virtue or excellence in terms of perception, expertise, and mastery]. The formal cause is that way." (Page 30)

"The formal cause is the DNA of action. It is the recipe for success, the rules of the game...the blueprint that tells you how to construct the causal chain from your values to your results. It is the road map that informs how to get from here to there. But where is there and why go? The why of action is addressed by the final cause." (Page 44)

"The final cause embodies your values. It gives motive force, because it comes from what you value. The stronger the value, the greater the power of the final cause. The more clearly articulated the value, the better you can embody it through action...As the end (in the sense of goal), the final cause is, paradoxically, the beginning of how to make a lasting contribution. It motivates the entire process and raises your mundane actions to a higher level. But how can you be sure that the four causes are a sensible way to think about making a lasting contribution?" (Page 54)

Waddington urges each reader to make a lasting contribution because it can teach the value of doubting (indeed challenging) conventional wisdom that insists such a contribution is impossible; also, because it will guide and inform ethical actions and give more meaning to one's life. Most important of all, such a contribution can have substantial and enduring impact on the lives of countless others.

[Earon S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lasting contribution, synthesizing broad philosophical looks at human understanding and wisdom in an absence of dogma. I hope that this guidepost will be available and accessible for everyone who unknowingly searches for it. [How's that for inscrutable?] (-:

[KD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an excellent review of this book in the UU magazine and then met the author at UU family camp. It's a quick read and thought-provoking. There are a few sections I want to reread and then I plan to use it to actually plan out on paper some goals for myself.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written. This book has more quotes than original work. While the author introduces many important concepts and quotes, he fails in explaining them and integrate them in a coherent whole.
If you take any English class, you will learn that you can not use a quote to explain another one.

[Happy Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

superficial and uninformative

[Katie]

Not as linear as I would have liked

[George Andrews III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book. Best one I have read this year. Loaded with research and references to other material makes it a great jumping off point for further reading into the subject.

[Karlen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for work. Hard to be enthusiastic about that.

[Jean Oram · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very cerebral! An interesting premise and argument, just not the book for me.