Wish I'd understood these things when I was young. There's a saying: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. For young guys out there, this information simply wasn't available to most people coming up in life until now, and even now, you have to be in the right place, like RVF. Understand what Cobra is saying about gaming workplace politics vs. focusing on work performance. You should do both, but maybe put workplace politics slightly ahead of doing objectively high quality work (but still do good work). Put your creativity, intuition, and extra thought into mastering the political game, and keep refining, year after year, looking for greater and greater depths of sophistication and power in your gamesmanship.
I'm the tower of power, too sweet to be sour. I'm funky like a monkey. Sky's the limit and space is the place!
-Randy Savage