[PaulHoule]

I think there is not really a contradiction between having expertise and giving value but if you feel there is it is because of politics, not in the left/right sense but office politics.

That is, the bosses son isn’t going to feel there is a contradiction here but you’re going to feel it when they try to explain to you why he got a promotion and he didn’t.

Now some places are healthier than others and some are more fair than others.

I think to get the whole picture you have to be able to hold a few different viewpoints about a situation. In the end you deliver value as part of a team and that can have many corollaries such as: prioritizing what works for the team as opposed to myself (so far as I get what I need and feel OK about it), getting some of my personal development through side projects, recognizing that my team puts limitations on how much value I can make and deciding how much I want to live with it, press for change in the organization or move on.