There's another position that's similar but less gross, which is to have some humility about what you think is important vs. what work your manager/manager's manager think is important. Try to work on what they think is important not (just) because of a cynical desire to game the system and get ahead, but because they have probably more experience and (often a lot more) context than you do.
Of course, this only works if you have managers you feel like you can trust and respect in the first place.
Of course, this only works if you have managers you feel like you can trust and respect in the first place.