Stop Working for Approval. Start Doing Work That Matters
Most people don’t work for impact—they work for approval. They do just enough to pass, not to grow. But what if work could be more than survival? It’s time to shift from approval to real contribution.
A Familiar but Unspoken Workplace Truth
It’s late in the evening, and the office lights flicker overhead. You glance at your screen, making the final tweaks to a project. Not because you’re excited about it. Not because you care about its impact. But because you know it just needs to pass. It just needs to be good enough—not great, not innovative, not something you’re proud of—just approved.
Your boss won’t ask if you learned something new. The client won’t care if you stretched yourself to create something meaningful. The only thing that matters is whether it’s done, whether it ticks all the right boxes, whether it’s just acceptable enough to move on.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. This is how most people work.
In modern workplaces—especially in fast-moving companies and startups—work has stopped being about the work itself. Instead, it has become a game of meeting expectations in the easiest, safest way possible. Employees don’t push for better solutions, more efficiency, or deeper understanding. They push to navigate approval systems, to manipulate just enough to get a green light, to move on without friction.
And why wouldn’t they?
The entire system is built that way. From business schools to corporate metrics, everything conditions people to focus on satisfying clients, pleasing managers, and avoiding red flags. But what happens when the whole workforce operates with this mindset? What happens when work becomes less about meaningful contribution and more about making sure no one complains?
The result is a culture where:
Effort is minimized because taking shortcuts gets the same reward as doing things properly.
Learning is an afterthought because no one asks, “What did you gain from this?”—only “Was it delivered?”
Work becomes robotic and uninspired because people stop striving for excellence when mediocrity is enough.
So here’s the question:
Instead of simply working to meet expectations, how do we shift toward working for a shared, meaningful goal?
This post is about that shift—why it matters, why most workplaces don’t encourage it, and how we can change our approach to work in a way that makes a difference.
Because if we’re going to spend a third of our lives working, shouldn’t it be about something more than just approval?
The Modern Work Mentality: Just Enough to Get By
Think about the last project you worked on. Did you push yourself to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, or learn something meaningful? Or did you just focus on making sure it met expectations, passed the review, and got signed off without issues?
For most employees, the second scenario is the norm. Work isn’t about creating something valuable—it’s about avoiding problems. It’s about making sure the deliverable is “good enough” so no one raises questions, no one demands revisions, and no one finds a reason to say it’s inadequate.
This isn’t a failure of individual ambition. It’s a structural problem in the way modern workplaces operate.
Businesses reward compliance, not innovation. Employees who challenge existing systems or try new approaches often face resistance, while those who follow instructions exactly are praised for being reliable.
Workplace culture teaches employees to prioritize approval over contribution. Many learn early in their careers that pushing beyond expectations is exhausting and often unnecessary—so they don’t.
Performance metrics don’t capture meaningful work. Companies rely on numbers to assess employees, but these numbers measure output, efficiency, and deadlines—not depth, learning, or impact.
As a result, most professionals settle into a pattern: Do what’s expected. Avoid extra effort. Move on.
Why People Choose the Safe Path
This approach isn’t entirely irrational. In fact, it makes perfect sense within the system we’ve built. Here’s why:
Effort and reward are disconnected. The person who does just enough to pass often gets the same recognition as the person who works tirelessly to deliver something exceptional. So why go the extra mile?
Innovation is risky. If you try something new and it doesn’t work, you might face criticism. If you take a safe, familiar route, approval is guaranteed.
Workplace culture doesn’t value personal growth. Most employees are never asked what they learned or how they grew from a project. Instead, they’re asked, “Was the client happy?” or “Did we meet the deadline?”
When these patterns repeat over time, employees stop seeing work as a place for curiosity and growth. Instead, they see it as a game—one where the goal isn’t to do great work, but to navigate approval processes with the least resistance possible.
This mindset becomes so ingrained that most people don’t even question it. They assume this is just how work is. They assume that learning, creativity, and personal satisfaction are things that belong outside of their job.
But what if that assumption is wrong? What if work could be something more than just “good enough”?
In the next section, we’ll explore why this problem exists in the first place—and why businesses, schools, and leadership structures have unintentionally created a culture that discourages real, meaningful work.
Why This Happens: The Incentive Problem
If most people at work are just doing the minimum to get by, the question isn’t why individuals choose this path, but rather why the system rewards it in the first place.
The reality is that most workplaces aren’t designed to encourage meaningful work. Instead, they are structured around efficiency, predictability, and client satisfaction—often at the cost of creativity, depth, and long-term value.
Here’s why:
1. Business Schools Teach "Meeting Expectations," Not "Achieving Meaningful Goals"
Many professionals enter the workforce having been trained to think of work as a transactional process: identify a client need, fulfill it efficiently, and move on.
Business schools and corporate training programs focus heavily on solving problems within set constraints. They don’t emphasize redefining the problem, pushing beyond expectations, or questioning whether the goal itself is the right one.
Employees are taught that their role is to satisfy a client or manager, rather than to challenge assumptions or seek better solutions.
The result? A workforce that is trained to meet, but never exceed, expectations.
2. Companies Measure Success by Output, Not Impact
What gets measured gets prioritized. And in most companies, success is measured in terms of completed projects, deadlines met, and client approvals.
Did the client approve the work? Success.
Was the project delivered on time? Success.
Did the team hit its productivity goals? Success.
But what’s missing?
Did the project push the company forward in a meaningful way?
Did anyone on the team grow, learn, or become better at their work through this project?
Did the final product actually create value beyond the minimum requirement?
Most workplaces don’t ask these questions—so employees stop asking them too.
3. Employees Who Care Too Much Often Face Resistance
Ironically, in many workplaces, those who genuinely care about their work are often met with frustration rather than support.
When someone questions a standard process and suggests a better way, the response is often, “That’s not how we do things here.”
When someone pushes for higher quality beyond what’s required, they are told, “That’s not necessary, just stick to the requirements.”
When someone tries to change workplace culture, they may face silent opposition, because their ambition disrupts the status quo.
Over time, even the most passionate employees learn that it’s easier to do the minimum than to fight against a system that doesn’t reward deeper engagement.
4. Innovation is Risky, Mediocrity is Safe
Most businesses say they value innovation, but in reality, they value predictability more.
If an employee takes a safe, well-worn approach to a project, they know exactly what results to expect.
If they try something new and ambitious, there’s always a risk that it won’t work—and that failure may be seen as a liability rather than a learning opportunity.
This is why employees default to what is already approved and accepted rather than pushing for something better. The safest path is to do what has worked before, make small adjustments, and move on.
The Result: A Culture That Rewards the Wrong Things
All of this creates a workplace where:
Employees prioritize approval over real impact.
Growth and learning are secondary to efficiency and compliance.
The goal of work becomes to finish, not to improve.
This isn’t just an individual problem—it’s a systemic issue driven by how businesses define success, measure performance, and handle risk.
So the question is: How do we fix it?
In the next section, we’ll explore the hidden costs of this mindset—how it kills learning, drains motivation, and ultimately leads to workplaces where people feel disengaged, uninspired, and stuck in survival mode.
The Hidden Cost: The Death of Learning and Passion
At first glance, a workplace where employees do just enough to meet expectations might seem functional. Projects get completed, deadlines are met, and clients remain satisfied. But beneath the surface, something deeper is happening—a slow erosion of learning, engagement, and passion for work.
When work is reduced to a game of approvals and survival, people stop asking the most important questions:
What am I learning from this?
How can I do this better next time?
Am I growing, or just getting by?
Instead, the only concern becomes: Did this work get approved?
Over time, this mindset carries real consequences, not just for individuals, but for teams, companies, and industries as a whole.
1. Learning Becomes an Afterthought
For many professionals, learning stops the moment they land their first job.
In school, learning was structured and expected.
On the job, learning is something that only happens when necessary for survival.
Since most workplaces don’t actively encourage growth beyond what’s required, employees naturally adopt a “learn only when forced” approach.
Need to learn a new skill to get promoted? You’ll do it.
Need to figure out something to avoid getting fired? You’ll do it.
But learning for the sake of curiosity or mastery? Not a priority.
Because the system rewards competence, not improvement, most employees do just enough to maintain their status—nothing more.
2. Passion is Replaced by Indifference
There’s a reason so many people feel disengaged at work.
Work becomes repetitive because curiosity and creativity are not encouraged.
Employees feel like cogs in a machine, doing tasks for the sake of completion rather than impact.
People stop taking ownership of their work because they don’t see the point—if meeting expectations is the goal, why go beyond that?
Over time, apathy replaces enthusiasm, and the workplace becomes just another obligation to fulfill.
You hear it in the way people talk about their jobs:
"I just do what’s asked of me."
"I don’t care as long as my boss is happy."
"I just want to get through the day."
This isn't just a personal mindset—it's a cultural failure, one that drains motivation and makes work feel transactional instead of meaningful.
3. Metrics Distort Reality
Companies often try to measure engagement, learning, and satisfaction through employee surveys and performance reviews.
But the problem? These measurements rarely reflect reality.
Employees know that being honest about frustration or disengagement can have consequences, so they inflate their scores.
Metrics like “On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you at work?” are meaningless—happiness isn’t a fixed number.
Learning, creativity, and passion can’t be quantified the way deadlines and deliverables can, so they are ignored in favor of measurable outputs.
The result? A false sense of success.
Companies think their employees are engaged because the numbers look good, but in reality, most people are simply playing along to avoid problems.
4. Work Becomes a Survival Game, Not a Place for Growth
For many, work is no longer a space for growth, mastery, or contribution. It’s a place where:
People do the bare minimum to avoid negative feedback.
Innovation is avoided because risk-taking isn’t worth the effort.
The primary goal is to keep moving, not to improve.
When this culture dominates a workplace, everyone loses. Employees become disengaged, businesses stagnate, and innovation dies.
So, how do we change this?
In the next section, we’ll explore how we can shift from a mindset of meeting expectations to one of striving toward shared, meaningful goals. Because if work is going to take up such a large part of our lives, it should be about more than just survival.
The Shift: How Do We Move Towards Shared Goals Instead?
If workplaces are stuck in a cycle where employees prioritize approval over meaningful work, what’s the way out? How do we shift from a mindset of “just getting through” to one where people are actively working toward something bigger?
The answer isn’t about forcing employees to work harder or demanding passion from disengaged teams. It’s about restructuring the way work is approached—so that shared goals become the default way of operating rather than an exception.
This requires a fundamental shift in how people think about their work. Instead of:
“What does my boss or client want?”
“What’s the easiest way to get this approved?”
The focus should shift to:
“What are we actually trying to achieve?”
“How does this contribute to something meaningful?”
“How do we work together toward a shared outcome instead of just meeting expectations?”
1. Redefining Success: From Approval to Contribution
The first shift is in how success is measured. If companies only reward employees based on completed tasks and client satisfaction, then employees will continue to optimize for those things—at the cost of creativity, learning, and long-term impact.
Instead, workplaces need to start recognizing and rewarding:
Depth of contribution—Not just “Was this task completed?” but “Did it move the company/team forward in a meaningful way?”
Long-term value over short-term wins—Prioritizing improvements that lead to sustainable success, rather than just getting through the next quarter.
Collaboration over individual achievements—Encouraging teams to work together toward a common goal, rather than focusing solely on personal performance metrics.
When the definition of success changes, behavior follows. Employees no longer feel pressured to just “do enough” to stay afloat—they start seeing their work as part of something larger.
2. Leadership That Encourages Thinking, Not Just Execution
A major reason why employees avoid taking risks or pushing for deeper work is because most leadership structures discourage it. Managers often prefer predictability and efficiency over new ideas or meaningful engagement.
That’s why the shift must start at the top. Leaders need to:
Ask better questions. Instead of only focusing on deadlines and approvals, they should ask, “What did you learn from this?” and “How could this be done better next time?”
Encourage open discussions about real work challenges. Employees should feel safe talking about what isn’t working—not just giving surface-level updates to keep managers happy.
Create space for innovation. If employees feel like every new idea is met with resistance, they will stop sharing ideas altogether. Leaders must make it safe to challenge assumptions and test new approaches.
The best workplaces aren’t the ones where people are most efficient. They’re the ones where people are actively thinking, improving, and working toward something bigger.
3. Building a Culture of Shared Goals
Most companies claim they have “team goals,” but in reality, employees are still primarily focused on their own individual tasks and approvals. This creates a fragmented culture where people are working around each other rather than with each other.
A shift toward shared goals requires:
Transparent objectives. Every person on the team should understand why their work matters in the larger context.
Collaboration that isn’t just forced teamwork. People should actually need each other’s insights and contributions to move forward—not just be assigned to “group projects.”
A mindset shift from competition to contribution. Instead of individuals trying to prove their worth separately, the focus should be on how everyone can succeed together.
When teams truly share a goal, work stops being just a personal survival game and becomes something that drives collective progress.
4. Rewarding Learning and Growth, Not Just Output
If employees are only judged by how much they deliver, they will naturally focus only on that. But if companies start valuing learning and growth as essential parts of work, employees will approach their jobs differently.
Make learning part of performance reviews. Instead of just measuring output, ask: What did you improve on this year? What new skills did you develop?
Encourage internal knowledge-sharing. Employees should regularly exchange insights with each other—not just work in silos.
Recognize those who push for better solutions. People who take the time to innovate, rethink, and improve systems should be valued, not dismissed for “wasting time.”
When people see that learning is a priority, they will start approaching work with curiosity and engagement—rather than just following the checklist.
The Bottom Line: A Workplace Where Work Actually Matters
The goal isn’t to force employees to be more passionate. It’s to create an environment where passion, learning, and meaningful work are actually possible.
For this to happen:
Companies need to redefine success beyond just approvals and deadlines.
Leaders need to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and open conversations.
Teams need to move away from individual task-based work and focus on shared goals.
Workplaces need to reward growth and improvement, not just efficiency.
When these shifts happen, work stops feeling like a series of meaningless approvals and starts becoming a place where real contributions happen.
But how do we actually implement these ideas in real workplaces? In the next section, we’ll explore practical steps that both employees and leaders can take to make this shift real.
Practical Steps to Break the Cycle
Shifting from a culture of just meeting expectations to one where people work toward shared goals isn’t just a leadership issue—it’s something that requires change at multiple levels.
Employees, managers, and organizations all have a role to play in creating an environment where work is about real contribution, not just approval.
Here are some practical steps that can help break the cycle:
For Employees: Shifting Your Own Mindset
Even if your company still operates on an approval-based system, you can begin to change your approach to work by focusing on long-term contribution rather than short-term validation.
Ask yourself better questions.
Instead of just asking “Will my manager approve this?”, ask:
Does this solve the real problem?
What value does this add beyond what was requested?
Am I learning something from this project?
This small shift helps you see your work beyond a checklist and instead as a contribution to something bigger.
Reframe challenges as opportunities to improve.
If something at work feels pointless or repetitive, ask:
How can I do this better?
Is there a way to improve the process?
Even in restrictive work environments, small innovations matter—they set the stage for deeper engagement.
Encourage real conversations with colleagues.
Break the cycle of robotic work talk.
Ask coworkers:
What do you actually think of this process?
How do you think we can make this better?
These conversations shift the culture from silent compliance to active problem-solving.
Challenge workplace assumptions—within reason.
Not every battle is worth fighting, but speaking up about inefficiencies and frustrations can plant seeds of change.
If you have a manager who values deep work, initiate a conversation:
“I think we can do this in a way that adds more value—can we try a different approach?”
The goal here isn’t to change your entire company overnight—it’s to start seeing work as more than just a system of approvals.
For Managers: Creating Space for Real Work
If you’re in a leadership position, your role is critical in breaking the approval-first mindset. Your team will only shift if you create an environment where deep, meaningful work is encouraged, valued, and rewarded.
Stop asking only about deadlines and approvals.
Instead of focusing on whether something is “done,” ask:
What did we learn from this?
How did this contribute to our larger goals?
When managers shift their language, employees start seeing their work as part of a bigger picture.
Give employees ownership of their work.
People are more engaged when they feel like their contributions matter.
Instead of micromanaging, give teams problems to solve rather than tasks to complete.
Ask them: How would you approach this? What do you think is the best way forward?
Recognize real contributions—not just efficiency.
If employees only get praised for fast work, they will prioritize speed over depth.
Instead, recognize those who:
Take time to improve a system.
Ask the hard questions instead of blindly following orders.
Push for better solutions, even when inconvenient.
Encourage honest discussions about work culture.
Many employees hesitate to speak about workplace inefficiencies for fear of repercussions.
Create an environment where it’s safe to discuss frustrations and propose better ways of working.
For Companies: Redefining Success
At an organizational level, companies need to recognize that the way they define and measure success shapes behavior.
Revamp performance metrics.
Instead of only tracking:
How many tasks were completed?
How fast was the project delivered?
Start tracking:
What long-term value did this work create?
How much did employees learn and improve through this process?
Make space for deep work.
If employees are constantly drowning in deadlines and meetings, they will never have time for meaningful work.
Limit unnecessary meetings and busywork so employees can focus on actual problem-solving and growth.
Encourage a culture of shared goals.
Shift away from individual performance metrics that encourage competition.
Focus on team-based objectives where success depends on collaboration, not just personal efficiency.
Create leadership that values depth over speed.
When upper management only cares about efficiency, managers and employees will follow suit.
Leaders need to model the behavior they want to see—asking bigger questions, encouraging critical thinking, and prioritizing quality over convenience.
Breaking the Cycle Starts with a Small Shift
You don’t need to overhaul an entire workplace overnight to make a difference.
But small changes—in mindset, in conversations, in leadership approaches—can start shifting work from a culture of approval to one of shared achievement.
If you’re an employee, start by asking better questions about your work.
If you’re a manager, create an environment where real contributions are valued.
If you’re a company leader, change the way success is measured.
When enough people begin to shift their focus from meeting expectations to pursuing meaningful goals, work stops being just a routine. It becomes a place where people actually want to show up, contribute, and grow.
In the final section, we’ll explore what happens when these changes take place—and why the shift is worth it, for individuals and companies alike.
The Real Reward: Work That Matters
Imagine walking into work, not just to get through the day, but because you genuinely care about what you're building. Imagine a workplace where learning, creativity, and contribution matter just as much as efficiency and deadlines.
This isn’t some utopian fantasy—it’s what happens when companies and individuals stop treating work as a game of approvals and start working toward shared, meaningful goals.
Why This Shift is Worth It
When businesses, teams, and individuals break free from the "just enough to pass" mindset, the impact is profound:
Work becomes more engaging.
When employees have a sense of purpose beyond just approval, motivation naturally increases.
People start taking ownership of their projects rather than just completing them for the sake of completion.
Innovation happens naturally.
When people feel safe to question, improve, and challenge assumptions, they create better solutions.
Instead of choosing the safest and most predictable path, teams explore smarter, more impactful ways to get things done.
Learning becomes a core part of the job.
Employees who are encouraged to think deeply and grow within their roles don’t see work as a repetitive cycle—they see it as a place of development.
When learning is prioritized, businesses benefit from a smarter, more adaptable workforce.
Companies stop losing their best talent.
People don’t leave jobs just because they want more money—they leave because they don’t see meaning in their work.
A company that fosters real engagement and shared purpose retains employees who actually want to contribute.
Success is measured in real impact, not just output.
Instead of asking, "Did we deliver on time?", the focus shifts to "Did this move us forward in a meaningful way?"
Businesses stop chasing short-term approvals and start building long-term value.
Your Next Step: Making the Shift Yourself
The beauty of this transformation is that it doesn’t require waiting for permission.
You don’t have to be in a leadership position to change how you approach your work. You don’t need a company-wide policy shift to start asking better questions about what you’re doing and why.
Here’s where you can begin:
If you're an employee:
Start thinking beyond approvals. Ask: What am I actually contributing? How can I make this work more meaningful?
Engage with co-workers beyond the usual “get it done” conversations. Talk about how to improve processes, share ideas, and collaborate better.
If you're a manager:
Challenge your team to think deeper about their work. Shift from, “Is this done?” to, “What did we learn? How can we improve?”
Give employees more ownership over their tasks so they feel invested in the outcome rather than just trying to get approvals.
If you're a business leader:
Redefine what success looks like. Stop measuring only deadlines and deliverables—start rewarding learning, contribution, and real progress.
Build a culture where employees feel safe to challenge norms, innovate, and push for better solutions.
Final Thought: Work Should Be More Than Just Survival
We spend decades of our lives working. If all we’re doing is navigating approval systems and meeting minimum expectations, we’re wasting an enormous opportunity—not just to create something valuable, but to find meaning in the process.
The choice is simple:
You can keep playing the game—checking boxes, following instructions, and doing just enough to move on.
Or you can choose to work differently—not just for approval, but for something bigger.
The shift starts with a simple question: Are you just meeting expectations, or are you actually building something worth working for?