A while back, I talked about project management as a general-purpose skill that can increase your value to an organization, no matter what your job title happens to be. Now let’s talk about some of the other all-purpose skills that can improve your value to any organization, no matter what position you happen to hold.

You hear a lot these days about ways to improve your personal brand. If you want to get noticed and see your career advance—if you want to improve your brand—acquiring and putting skills like these into practice can help pave the way.

Cultivate the right reputation

It might go without saying, but a reputation as someone who keeps promises and meets deadlines is critical for any career path. But there’s more to this than just doing what you said you would do. The trick to never making a promise you can’t keep is in how you make that promise in the first place: say yes to what you can do.

Nobody likes to hear a no, but we all know that not every request can realistically get an unqualified yes. So the next time you have a boss breathing down your neck, asking for something to be done yesterday, try this. Start by promising what you are able to do, and when you will have it done.

The step after that is the most important one: move heaven and earth to keep that promise. Even if there’s still more work to be done, you’ll have made forward progress on whatever the request is, and you’ll start to get a reputation as someone who can get things done.

Work on your backbone

Here’s an exercise tip for anyone who has designs on a future leadership position: give your backbone a regular workout. What I mean is, when you make a choice, don’t change that decision without a very compelling reason.

For example, if you’re choosing between two different ways to handle a particular problem, first gather all of the information you can and weigh it, carefully considering as many other points of view as you can. Then make a decision you will stick to. Don’t crumble at the slighted resistance. Assuming you’ve done your homework (don’t skip this part!) and the decision is well-reasoned, and you can defend it, then trust yourself and stand by it.

That doesn’t mean you can never change your mind. If new information comes along that recolors the basis for the decision, stubbornly sticking to what is now an obviously wrong choice won’t do you any favors. But make that the exception, not the rule. The idea is to set a pattern that helps people trust you as a leader.

Be helpful

This final piece of advice might sound a bit touchy-feely, but here goes. The more helpful you are, day to day, the more likely you are to be noticed as the go-to person when a new opportunity arises. Being helpful demonstrates that you can work with others so that everyone can do their best.

Besides, a spirit of helpfulness makes any work environment a nicer place to be. You don’t want to be that co-worker who takes and takes, but never gives…one day you’ll be the one doing the asking!

Brand matters

Building a career is as much about building a reputation as it is about building specific skills. Establishing a reputation as someone who keeps their promises, who makes careful decisions and stands behind them, and who plays well with others, will go a long way toward helping you build the career you want.