In work, as in life, we learn from trial and error: I was having Problem A so I implemented Solution A and it didn’t work. Then I tried Solution B and it did! Next time I’ll know to use Solution B first thing. And so it goes, over and over again, throughout your career. Forty years or so go by and, finally, you’ve got it all figured out. You retire with the proverbial gold watch and a head full of valuable knowledge.

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have that information at the beginning of your career instead?

Quint Studer wants to make that wish a reality. In his recently released title, The Great Employee Handbook: Making Work and Life Better, he shares the wisdom he’s learned from working with thousands of employees at every level. His work with CEOs, in particular, made it clear that high-level leaders value certain skills in the people who work for them—and those skills may not be what you’d expect.

“The issues most people struggle with have little to do with our ability to do the work,” notes Studer. “It’s all the things that happen around the work. It’s how good we are at keeping projects moving. It’s whether we make life easier for our coworkers or more difficult. It’s how well we can read and respond to customers’ unspoken needs.”

“When we’re more effective at work, everything changes,” Studer added. “Leaders value us and set us up for success. Coworkers like us and want to help us. Customers like us and keep doing business with us. All of these conditions work together to make us happy on the job.”

Studer reveals six secrets seasoned employees know—secrets that anyone of any experience level can use to their advantage:

• In the boss’s mind, the ball is always in your court.
Once the boss gives you an assignment, she may mentally mark it off her to-do list. She may even forget about it. It’s up to you to do what you need to do to move it forward quickly. Never let yourself be the hold-up. Check in with the boss regularly on the project so that she doesn’t have to bring it up. If you hit a roadblock and can’t proceed until you get more information, let her know—just be sure you’re not procrastinating.

“Sometimes people let a few missing details hold an entire project hostage,” notes Studer. “I find it’s always better to complete chunks of work and fill in the missing details later. This is good for your workflow but it also reassures the boss that you’re doing the best you can to keep the project moving. It relieves a lot of anxiety for her.”

• When you bring the boss a problem, always bring a solution.
Leaders are like the rest of us: overloaded and overwhelmed. Yet, despite the boss’s already massive to-do list, employees habitually add their problems to his pile. Studer calls this the-boss-will-figure-it-all-out mentality or Park Ranger Leadership—and he insists it’s the least effective way to get things done.

“Think about it this way: If every time you got lost in the woods, a park ranger showed up to lead you out, you’d never learn to find the way out yourself,” he explains. “That’s what many leaders do, and it creates a situation where employees stop trying to solve problems. They think: Someone up there has always figured it out before, so they will this time, too. But that’s hard on the leaders and it’s limiting for the company.

“When you bring a problem to the boss, also bring a solution,” Studer adds. “The boss will appreciate your initiative and creativity. Also, you’re closer to the problem than he is so you can probably come up with a better solution. If all employees did this, the whole company would be stronger, more innovative, and more resilient.”

• Figure out – and act on – the one thing the boss cares about more than anything.
When you know what matters most to the boss—what her what is, as Studer expresses it—then you can laser-focus on meeting her needs in this area. Let’s say you’ve noticed negativity drives her crazy. She just can’t stand griping and complaining. It puts her in a bad mood and makes her want to hide out in her office. Once you realize this, you can make an effort to frame your communications with her in a positive way.

“This is not sucking up and it’s not a self-serving exercise,” explains Studer. “It’s just being aware of your own behavior and tweaking it to create a productive working relationship with the boss. It’s good for her, it’s good for you, it’s good for everybody.”

• There’s no substitute for being liked.
Do you greet people with a smile each morning? Do you bring breakfast for everyone once in a while? Do you say happy birthday? Do you offer to take their trash when you’re taking yours out? Do you congratulate coworkers when they have a big win? There are a million little ways to contribute to what Studer calls 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,” he says. “These things are not that hard to do; it’s just that we don’t always think to do them. When you start looking for ways to be a positive force in your coworkers’ lives, you’ll be amazed by how many there are—and what a difference they make.”

• Last-minute requests can derail your day. Retrain chronic offenders.
Being a great employee means executing well, meeting deadlines, and, in general, protecting your own “brand.” Yet, it also means stepping in and helping others when they need your expertise. It’s not always easy to walk the tightrope between these two realities—especially when coworkers are constantly asking you for “five minutes of your time” (which really means 30 minutes or even longer).

“When you’re good at what you do, everyone wants a piece of you,” notes Studer. “That’s good, 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.

“Hold up the mirror and recognize your role in the problem,” he advises. “What we permit we promote. Usually, people find they need to be more open with coworkers about how long a task takes and how much notice is needed to get it done. When you educate others, you not only relieve your own burden; you help them do their work better.”

• “I’m sorry” are two of the most powerful words in the English language.
We all make mistakes. It’s what we do afterward—after we’ve dropped the ball or missed a deadline or got caught in the act of gossiping about a coworker—that truly determines our character as employees and coworkers. And it’s what ultimately determines whether the people we work with want to help us out…or want to help us out the door.

“Apologizing shows one’s vulnerability, and vulnerability is a powerful trait,” says Studer. “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.”

Quint Studer is the founder of Studer Group®. A recipient of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Studer Group implements evidence-based leadership systems that help clients attain and sustain outstanding results. The Great Employee Handbook is Studer’s sixth book. Others include Wall Street Journal bestseller Results That Last and BusinessWeek bestseller Hardwiring Excellence. To learn more, please visit www.studergroup.com.