How do I please my boss? I have asked myself this question. Others have asked me this question. Even after working for two decades, I don’t have an answer. Every answer I came across sounded like, “Try doing these things, and then hope and pray it works”. But somewhere on that journey, I realized that it is the wrong question to focus on.

The question you should rather be focused on is – how can I do my job well? Find that answer and the first question more or less answers itself.

A gymnast, seconds away from starting her Olympic routine, is not thinking, “I hope the judges like me and give me a perfect ten?” She is focused on the routine, on the first step, then the next and the next. Only when she lands the final jump, does she look at the scoreboard. Because she knows that the judges rating is out of her control. The only thing in her control is what she does on the floor. That is where she gives everything she has.

Don’t worry about making your supervisor happy. It wasn’t an aspiration you grew up with, so why make it a goal now. As a kid did you ever say, “When I grow up, I am going to make my manager so proud.” No. You dreamt of becoming an astronaut, a sport star or an actor – doing something that you loved. If that kid didn’t worry about pleasing the boss, neither should you.

You have not been hired to please your boss. Your job is to do whatever it is you were hired to do. Did the job description say – must have killer manager pleasing skills? A proven track record in keeping supervisors happy? It did not. It described the actual task. And that is what you should be worrying about.

None of this means that you should ignore your manager. On the contrary, it is important to find out what he or she wants from you and work accordingly. But don’t be fixated on what they think of you. Their appreciation is crucial. But it is the reward for a job well done. It’s not the actual job.

Do the real job well. Give it everything you have. If you are a product developer, spend your day thinking on that one feature your customers are hurting without. If you are a programmer, spend sleepless nights thinking how to optimize that algorithm. And let the result speak for itself. If doing your work well does not please the boss, nothing ever will.

Your work is the goal. Keep your eyes on it. Do it well and the pat on the back will follow.