I woke up this morning to an email that said the two-person department made up of my boss and I were the easiest to work with at Dartmouth.  What a great compliment!  It’s not because we automatically say yes to everything or allow ourselves to be walked on.  Rather I think it’s because we listen to what people want/need and we do our best to fulfill that need.  This applies especially to the little stuff.  Don’t dismiss requests as unimportant and never say “no”.  Instead, give alternatives.     
This seems like something that wouldn’t need to be commented on, but in the six years I’ve worked in higher education I’ve found that more often than not, people like to make things difficult just to prove they are “in charge” of something.  Then they find themselves excluded and complain about it.  It’s unnecessary.  If you’re laid back and easy to work with, then people will want to include you.  If you’re not, then they’ll try to work around you.  It’s as simple as that.