Food for thought! You make excellent points and I'm not sure yet what I think about this. Let's give it a try.
But often, the people who are the best at what they do are also the ones that make it look the easiest, but it is because they have developed the skills in order to do so. Most skill development is out of sight, done in practice, not on the field of play. It is done in areas that do not get rewarded.
This is certainly true, but I think this will always be the case, no matter where you are, office or remote. It's the people who have the loudest mouths who will most easily be promoted, just because they are in people's minds more often, not because of skill perse. They will make sure to get enough speaking time, no matter where they are.
For me, whether I am at the office or working from home, I'm not very visible either way. I suck at small talk and I am smart, but I'm not good at showing it. At meetings, I don't speak up often, because I need time to digest and analyze the information I'm hearing. The only thing you'll hear from me are detailed questions. I get to good ideas or conclusions, but only after the meeting is done. So for me it doesn't really matter if we're meeting online or at the office.
I guess it mostly depends on the kind of company you're at, aswell as the size of the company and departments. I don't think it makes all that much difference, as long as you have a good, observant boss who focusses on results.
I think for me, risking more invisibility is an acceptable trade, because working remotely, from home, eats up a lot less energy than sitting at the office. I get more done and deliver better quality, while better enjoying my free time in the evening. It's all about the massive amount of input you get while at the office. I'd gladly leave that behind and I'd even be willing to work on being more noticable when aiming for a promotion. And hey, there's more to life than work and promotions. For me, the benefits of working from home far outweigh the risks.
Yes, exactly. What this means is that more often than not, the skilled have to learn more skills on top of what they are specialized in. The most successful people I know (not just financially) are highly skilled at a narrow set, but also understand that they need to put themselves out there if they want to be able to apply it at the cutting edge.
This is true too, but i would say that most companies around the world do not choose supervisors well on average, meaning that there can be a lot of ladder climbers, not observant bosses.
It is not about only promotion or reward, it is also about opportunity. If you like to work on the best projects, you have to be in a position where people are willing to put you in those places. It isn't always easy and there are tradeoffs to be made.
I guess I have been pretty lucky with my employers so far. They were small-sized companies and there was plenty of communication both ways, so that even if you're not that great at being seen, you would still be able to go for the opportunities that fit you best.