> Being a good engineer doesn't really have anything to do with either.
Being a good engineer is necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, for being promoted.
There are some toxic workplaces where politics is the only way to get ahead, but they tend to fizzle out quickly as the upper ranks become filled with people who aren't good at anything but politicking and the good engineers and managers leave for greener pastures. It's certainly not characteristic of a typical, successful company.
In fact, neglecting engineering skills and trying to exclusively play political games is one of the quickest ways I've seen people tank their engineering careers. The problem is that it might work at first, for a short while, but eventually the people around the person realize they're all talk and no show.
Reputations are hard to build but easy to destroy.
Being a good engineer is necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, for being promoted.
There are some toxic workplaces where politics is the only way to get ahead, but they tend to fizzle out quickly as the upper ranks become filled with people who aren't good at anything but politicking and the good engineers and managers leave for greener pastures. It's certainly not characteristic of a typical, successful company.
In fact, neglecting engineering skills and trying to exclusively play political games is one of the quickest ways I've seen people tank their engineering careers. The problem is that it might work at first, for a short while, but eventually the people around the person realize they're all talk and no show.
Reputations are hard to build but easy to destroy.