Devoting energy solely to building a good impression with your boss is a high risk strategy when bosses and companies aren't very loyal. Building an outside reputation as well using work on open source f.i. hedges that risk and increases your negotiation power.
Comments
"if you're really good at something, it's pretty easy to get paid (a lot) for it."
This is only true in technology and because of the current market in tech labor and skills (and powerful people are working hard to change that).
It's not true for the musician, or many other passions where the reward has to be the work itself because it's hard to make any kind of living at it.
Devoting energy solely to building a good impression with your boss is a high risk strategy when bosses and companies aren't very loyal. Building an outside reputation as well using work on open source f.i. hedges that risk and increases your negotiation power.