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

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Six proofs that Dr. W's book is a TARDIS:
1. It is much larger on the inside than on the out. In just over 100 pages it packs in science, art, economics, philosophy, mathematics, ethics, psychology, sociology, biology, and much more.
2. It will take you many places--from Antarctica to Asia, from mountain tops to wheat fields, from China to Chicago, and on and on.
3. It takes you many places in time: the dawn of civilization, the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, the invention of the airplane, to war, and most important, it takes you into the future by showing how your contributions can endure through time.
4. It is quirky. Key roles are played by Aristotle and Oprah's shoes. Squirrels, muses, and high-casualty cocktail parties make cameo appearances. It plays the social construction of reality off the construction of social reality and even proves the existence of Santa Claus.
5. There is an underlying seriousness and brilliance that grounds it, holds it together, and makes you look at things differently. For example, it defines `meaning' and shows you how to get it.
6. It is a shape-shifter. You'll see it differently every time you read it. It's a self-help book, a business book, a philosophy book. It's unlike any book you've ever read. And it is well worth the reread.

Author Tad Waddington offers a slim yet thoughtful book that expounds a philosophy of existential meaning. Using the model of Aristotle's four causes (efficient cause, material cause, formal cause and final cause), he offers an approach on how individuals can invest their lives with meaning and build a lasting legacy that outlives their time on earth. Some readers may find parts of it heavy sledding, but the chapters are mercifully brief and Waddington's allusions and references are not pedantic.

Move over, Oprah and Dr. Phil! Drawing from Kant, Eastern philosophy and Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning," Waddington presents an iconoclastic but coherent argument for creating a meaningful life. The author's resume includes a MA in Divinity, graduate work in statistics and employment as performance manager for Accenture; Waddington is a polymath but no cryptic egghead.

"Lasting Contribution" is worth a careful reading and heeding. With this book, Waddington himself has genuinely made a ... lasting contribution.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect as I began to read this book but soon realized that, accompanied by Tad Waddington, I had embarked on a journey of discovery to learn the answer to a very important question: How can I make a contribution that lasts? Waddington asserts that "lasting contributions [begin italics] are caused [end italics]. Simply put, you [begin italics] cause [end italics] 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."

Waddington 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 is a selection of 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 addresses this last question in Chapters VI and VII, then shifts his attention to various empirical problems that are frequently encountered, and then to suggesting why making a lasting contribution to the world is a "worthy goal" and a "self-evident good."

For me, some of the most valuable material is provided in the final chapter in which Waddington discusses six exemplary individuals. However their lasting contributions differ in terms of nature and impact, all of them have the four causes working effectively together in combinations that (obviously) vary in terms of their respective values, objectives, and resources. Norman Borlaug (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970) is of special interest to me because of his efforts to triple wheat production in Mexico and achieve a 60% increase in wheat harvests in India and Pakistan. " He then expanded his efforts to eliminate famine in Asia and Africa. According to Paddington, Borlaug's lasting contribution was a "hardnosed pursuit of pragmatic results. His efficient cause was to work on his crops all day every day, year after year."

Tad 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, as Borlaug and others so convincingly demonstrate, such a contribution can have substantial and enduring impact on the lives of countless others.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out James O'Toole's Creating the Good Life: Applying Aristotle's Wisdom to Find Meaning and Happiness. Also, Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, Eckhart Tolles's The Power of Now and his more recent A New Earth, Bill George's Authentic Leadership, John Whitehead's A Life in Leadership, and The Leader's Legacy co-authored by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.

Lasting Contribution is far more ambitious--and achieves far more, in its barely 100 pages--than the run-of-the-mill business title focused on career or the work experience. This book really will give you a useful basic framework for understanding how you can make a real contribution to the world through the work you do (and the way you do it, think about it, and feel about it). Because it's so brief, it's ideal for giving to colleagues and friends, even if they're not big readers. You'll want to make sure other people you know (and/or work with) have read it, so you'll be able to have someone to talk to about the ideas it contains. Highly recommended.

Saw some really great reviews for this book. Maybe I just had the wrong expectations.

The best way to describe this book is that it's about the theory of doing something -- not actually about doing something. I was thinking it would be something like 'Getting things done' in the way that it would provide some sort of framework for acting, choosing between actions, etc. I read half the book thinking I was still on the introduction before I realized the rest of the book was reinforcing the first half.

It's super short, too. Which might be a good thing, but probably 1/3 of the book is quotations and references to other works, authors, or notable people from history. There just isn't anything in here that you could pull out and act on. I don't see this influencing anything I would ever do in the future.

The whole book can basically be summed up in: "why are you doing something? how are you going to do it? what are you going to use to do it?"

I do not recommend this book to anyone looking to make a Lasting Contribution.

Disclaimer: I read the first half and skimmed the second half after realizing I was wasting time.

Lasting Contribution: How to Think, Plan, and Act to Accomplish Meaningful Work by Tad Waddington is one of those books that you could read quickly for the overall message, but that you would need to reread more contemplatively to get the full effect. Or, I could see it being a perfect book for a study group interested in philosophy and self-development.

Contents:
Getting Started - Thinking Causally; Dealing With Complexity - Efficient Cause; Your Resources - Material Cause; The Design of Action - Formal Cause; Embody Your Goal - Final Cause; Empirical Problems; Theoretical Problems; Why?; Contribution; Glossary; Lasting Contribution Koans; References; Index

Waddington's educational background in Chinese religions shows through here, as there's a wide mix of ideas and concepts from both eastern and western styles of thought. The "causes" he uses as a framework comes from Aristotle, and deals with the four reasons as to why something happens as it does. The material cause is the "of what", as in what is this thing made of. The efficient cause is the "how", as in how is something formed or made. The formal cause is the "what is", as in what is the essence of the thing being examined. And finally, the last cause is the "why", as in why does something exist, and what was it made to accomplish. Unless you've had exposure to this type of analysis, it's going to take awhile to understand the concepts, get them straight in your mind, and see how they apply to your life and plans for making a difference in the world. Waddington goes over each of these concepts in separate chapters, and his writing style is conversational in nature. You could see yourself being "taught" this information from a leader, as the leader makes a statement, seemingly contradicts it or points out how it might be in conflict with another earlier concept, and then guides you through to the reconciliation of the material. His book goes much deeper than the typical "follow these ten steps to success" approach that commonly appear in the self-improvement area of your local bookstore. When you get done, you'll have a deep mental and internal meaning as to what you're doing and why you're doing it.

My recommendation would be to go through the book quickly on a first read (it's only 122 pages) so you can understand where he's going. Then go back and reread the information more slowly, thinking and internalizing the concepts and materials. With that approach, I think the book will contribute much to your attempts to make a difference in the lives of those around you.

A wonderful read. Should be required reading for all high school and college students. I wish I had 20 copies to give to friends and non-profit volunteers.

Length:: 1:00 Mins

Action-packed and allusion-filled, this 60-second anime introduces you to the award-winning and critically-acclaimed book Lasting Contribution: How to Think, Plan, and Act to Accomplish Meaningful Work by Tad Waddington, PhD.

Waddington's main objective is to provide a general guideline of what readers need to accomplish in their quest to making this world better for others. He assumes that the reader has a clear notion of what this individual contribution is (which for some individuals could be the most challenging task).

The framework draws from Aristotle's Four Causes in that each of the causes translates to a step in the process. Efficient Cause is about understanding how different factors influence each other (engaging in "complex thinking"). Material Cause is the resources you have. Formal Cause is your plan to achieve your objective. Final Cause is the over-riding rational to accomplish your goal.

The book draws from examples in Eastern and Western philosophy, various religions, sociology, mythology, and business. While the breath of material is vast, there isn't a reliance on any one single work or discipline. Waddington draws only those portions that fit his overall framework. In this sense, Lasting Contribution is an original work and not an outgrowth of a particular discipline or an attempt to integrate the disparate disciplines.

One feature of this book is that it tries to anticipate challenges to the framework presented and addresses some of these challenges. This approach serves a dual purpose. One is to respond to potential criticism, and the second is to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the framework presented. In essence, it provides a second more critical look at the same framework. This built in redundancy is what Waddington recommends in Chapter 2, so he is following his own advice.

The appeal of books like this one depends on how much the reader's perspective coincides with that of the author. This book articulates the ideas well and draws on different disciplines to help the reader understand them. Examples help make these ideas concrete and deepen the reader's appreciation of the overall framework. Responding to anticipated criticism helps provide further insight to the intricacies of the proposed framework.

In short, this is a well-written book, and most readers-regardless of whether they agree with the author-will gain something from it.

This may well be a life-changing book that I read completely during a 90-minute flight.

Armchair Interviews says: Thought-provoking read.

The first time I read this book I thought that what it had to offer was useful tools for thinking clearly and becoming more effective, but when I went back to check my understanding on a few points, I ended up re-reading most of it, which I quite enjoyed, because it is so well written. Then I thought that Lasting Contribution was primarily a matrix of fascinating ideas about acting and producing results. Since I wanted to talk about it with someone, I gave it to a friend of mine just out of college who's been asking himself a lot of hard questions about what he's going to do now (and trying to overcome his latent cynicism that whatever he does, he may not be able to make much of an impact on the world). He confessed that he would read a few pages, and then put it down to think about it for hours before moving on. During talks with my friend about this book, I began to feel something strange--hope. We concluded that this book is a carefully constructed philosophical roadmap to lead us out of the dead end of post-modernism. We're still talking about it. This is a thinking people's guide to making a difference. It's only self-help in the sense that you will find much that is helpful here. Lasting Contribution is a toolkit for effective action, and I would recommend it for anyone who has ever despaired of finding a way to be more empowered and make an impact on the world. I would especially recommend it for undergrads just out of college who want to make a difference with their lives but don't know how, business people who've begun to wonder what they're doing it all for, and non-profiters who are looking for a method to maximize their effectiveness. This is the most important book I've read this year.