While I find many ways to contribute, I want to consider the more constricted view of contribution as making money for someone.
As a kid, I sometimes sold lemonade at a popup lemonade stand on hot summer days. My mom provided the half-cut lemons, water, sugar, bowl, ladle, and plastic cups. I did the mixing, hustling, and money collecting.
I don’t know if I charged enough money to cover the cost of the raw materials and my labor. Because I got to keep any money collected, as far as I was concerned, it was all profit! While the business model may have been flawed, the exercise provided an early reference for thinking about contribution.
As a teacher, I helped students learn skills that would perhaps allow them to make money. Did I contribute? I think I made a difference in the lives of at least some of my students. Did I make money for the school where I worked? I provided a service that students paid for, so maybe I contributed indirectly.
As a software developer working at several companies and in different industries, I wrote code that eventually made it into products that were purchased. This felt like a more direct kind of contribution.
As a leader, I try to inspire others to be direct contributors. Setting priorities and providing assistance are examples of how a leader indirectly contributes to a project.
Again, most projects require both direct and indirect work. Most companies need HR people and others who contribute indirectly. There is no escaping the obvious conclusion.
Indirect contributors provide value.
Next, I want to look at other, non-monetary, ways we can contribute.
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