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In the first two posts of this series (Manage Yourself First and Manage Your Boss Second) we began our discussion of The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization, By John C. Maxwell.

Today we continue with the third principle of Leading Upwards, one of the most difficult parts of any job. Leading your leader does not mean sucking up, it means adding value to your leader by making yourself more valuable to them.

Are you working hard, or “hardly workin’? “

Not only is having a can-do attitude important in the new economy, it’s vital that you have a will-do attitude. The employee who is set up to get noticed and get ahead is the one who is not too proud or afraid to take on the difficult/dirty/low-status tasks that exist in every organization.

To become a true 360 degree leader, follow these 10 tips:

1. Take the tough jobs
2. Put in your time in the trenches
3. Be comfortable working in obscurity
4. Make an effort to get along with difficult people
5. Put your own reputation on the line
6. Admit your faults, never make excuses
7. Do more than is expected of you
8. Put out your hand and help someone else
9. Never, ever say, “That’s not my job”
10. Follow through on your promises

Not only will you be creating more value for your organization, you will be creating more value in yourself. With increased value, you will feel better about yourself and more motivated to continue stepping up.

Keep everything in perspective, as Maxwell says,”The goal is more important than the role.”

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5jhlvd. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen