Joe would often stay late at night to take care of something urgent that came up with a customer. One day the customer complained to the boss about a problem that kept happening and that needed changes were often behind schedule. The boss was surprised and angry with Joe for being blindsided by the customer. In this case Joe's "heroics" hid some problems until they blew up. One possible approach is to make sure the boss is very much aware of problems that occur and when projects are behind. This avoids the surprises. Some would say that making sure your boss isn't surprised is part of an employee's job.