This is really the takeaway you should have. Be observant of what is actually rewarded. Companies are made of people. Unless you're in some ultra bureaucratic government position that is 100% impossible to get around - the guidelines are not really that important.
Instead, it's all about your relationship with your management chain. If your management chain likes you (the reason why doesn't matter) then that's all that really is important to your progress in your career. You can be more impactful than any employee, add to the bottom line of any business meaningfully, and still get fired because your management chain doesn't like you. And vice versa - seen folks do nothing to add to the bottom line or make any impact and yet - promos come their way.
Getting to staff and beyond is entirely about politics. It has little to do with your actual work. I'd highly recommend finding an organization that aligns to you. If you feel like an outsider in your company - switch companies until you find one where you feel accepted. If this is not possible (and it often enough isn't possible) - then ask if it's worth it and start wearing a costume and play whatever part you think will get you further. (Even with this attitude - it might still not be possible to advance. We live in a unjust world.)
Let's just visit a very good and old read on Donald Knuth and email: https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/email.html