Many moons ago, I worked for a Fortune 50 company. One of the two most odious managers I’ve ever worked with decided on day one that he didn’t like me, and the feeling was quite mutual. Let’s call him Barney.

One day, during a performance review, Barney’s brow furrowed disapprovingly. He said, “Now, Cody, I’ve gotta say, it seems like you put in a lot more effort and do better work on projects you personally like compared to the things you don’t.”

I took several moments to determine if he wa...