You want to be part of a greater cause – something that is bigger than yourself. You don’t necessarily want to be the face of the cause, but you want to bring something that contributes to it in a meaningful way. You love to support others, and you relish successes that contribute to the greater good of the team. You see group victories as personal victories. You are often behind-the-scenes, looking to provide ways to make the world better. You make a committed teammate, and you often act as the glue that holds everyone else together. You look for solutions that add value to other people and organizations.

The challenge with the WHAT of Contribute is the tendency to overcommit. Because you want to contribute and make a difference you end up saying yes to too many things and moving in too many directions. Friends may tell you that you should just learn to say no but what they don’t understand is that saying no goes against everything you believe. 

To you contributing equals success and therefore the idea of saying no typically falls on deaf ears or even worse makes you feel bad.  Wanting to say yes to so many directions can lead to a lack of focus and the inability to accomplish the original task. 

The key to overcoming this challenge is for you to identify where you will be able to make the greatest possible contribution and then commit to focusing all your efforts on those areas. In other words, every time you’re faced with the opportunity to contribute, ask yourself the question: “If I agree to this  – will it enable me to make the maximum contribution that I possibly can?”  By learning to distinguish between the many opportunities that will constantly present themselves, you will build the muscle that keeps you focused on living your WHAT to the fullest without over-committing to extra obligations. You will shy away from areas in which you can only play small and gravitate towards those in which you will be able to play all out.

If you have the WHAT of Contribute, you do really well when you are valued for being a great friend and companion. You are typically very supportive and easy to be with. This means that you enjoy spending time with friends and others, doing almost anything, as long as it makes them feel happy.You get along well with all the others, as you are good at making other people feel comfortable and special. 

With family and friends, you tend to form strong relationships. You make them feel good, support them when they need it, and are comforting for them when they are hurt.You are compassionate as well; others know you will find ways to make things fun and enjoyable. 

In a team, you can be the glue holding the team together. You often do anything that needs to get done, and you look for ways to help move the team forward. Teams love to have you on their side because they know that you are not about you – you are about the team and will do your best to make everyone happy.You are someone that does whatever is needed, whether that means picking up a broom and sweeping the floor or sitting down and having a deep, emotional conversation with a coworker. Results are important to you, but even more important is being able to be a part of the cause. You want to keep moving the needle forward, and you believe that if you can help others do better, the team will also do better; you use the ripple effect to multiply your impact, which is your way of adding value to any situation you are in. People love your help.