When we’re more effective at work, everything changes. Conditions can work together to make us happy on the job—and when we’re happy on the job, we’re happy at home. This holds true whether you’re the chief administrative officer or a member of the local government staff.

Here are 12 secrets outlined in the cover story of the May Public Management (PM) magazine, written by Quint Studer, Gulf Breeze, Florida, that anyone can use to their advantage.

1.  In the boss’s mind, the ball is always in your court. Never let yourself be the hold-up of an assignment. Check in with the officials regularly so that they don’t have to ask about the assignment. If you hit a roadblock and can’t proceed until you get more information, let them know—just be sure you’re not procrastinating.
2. Leadership is exhausting and ineffective. When you bring a problem to elected officials, always bring a solution.
3. There is one thing that elected officials might care about more than anything else. Your job is to figure out what this is and act on it. When you know what matters most to each member of the governing body—what the what is, as I call it—then you can laser in on meeting their needs in this area.
4. Knowing the why makes all the difference. If you’re not sure what it is, ask. When organizations implement change, there’s almost always a reason why. But leaders may not always explain that reason, and people almost always assume the worst.
5. There’s no substitute for being liked. There are a million little ways to contribute to the “emotional bank account” at work. These deposits have a big, big impact—and they reduce the pain of the inevitable withdrawals. Go out of your way to make people happy when you can, and they’ll forgive you when you make a mistake.
6. Last-minute requests can derail your day. Retrain chronic offenders. When you’re good at what you do, everyone wants a piece of you. That’s wonderful, but it can also lead others to take advantage of you, even if they don’t mean to. If you don’t stop last-minute requesters, your own work will eventually suffer.
7. It’s best to resolve staff issues one-on-one. This is a tough one, because people tend to avoid confrontation. Yet many times an issue with a coworker can be solved with a face-to-face adult conversation.
8. “I’m sorry” are two of the most powerful words in the English language. Apologizing shows one’s vulnerability, which is a powerful trait. People fear they’ll be rejected if they show weakness or admit that they failed. The opposite is true. It actually makes people like us. It shows we’re human, just like them.
9. Blaming, finger-pointing, and badmouthing are deeply destructive to your organization’s image. Negative comments, even subtle ones, make people uncomfortable. On the other hand, they’re drawn to positivity. People like positive interaction with others, and they like hearing positive things about what they’re spending their money on.
10. Anxiety keeps residents from using government services. Do everything you can to alleviate it, and you’ll see amazing results. When people are using a government service—especially if they’re spending a good bit of money to do so they worry that they’re making a mistake. They want reassurance. Great managers and staff members realize this and provide it at every turn.
11. “A little bit extra” goes a long way. Often it’s the little things that keep many of us coming back to our favorite things, including stores, restaurants, physicians, and so forth.  The same principle can apply to local government.
12. Complaints are gifts. Handle them right and customer loyalty will skyrocket. 

For complete information on these 12 tips and other management insights, read the May PM.