Because the company is confusing project impact with individual impact. An ambitious idiot on a high ROI project is still an idiot.
It also fosters a culture where obsequious bullshit artists figure out to worm their way into projects and come out the other side with kudos.
If that type of gameplay is effective, the company is playing the wrong game. If you ask your director who the highest performer is and ask your colleagues the same question, and the answer is very different, that’s probably what your company is doing.
