I thought The Sims University modeled it brilliantly, as one could succeed in classes without attending them by hosting study sessions with classmates and becoming a close friend to the instructors.
weeblewobble's hypothesis: as an IC, your job is not to hit your deliverables but to allow your manager to hit their deliverables
I don't know who needs to hear this, but in management's eyes, it's your job to make them look good. If you want to be rewarded, make them look good, and if you want to be punished, make them look bad.
That's it. Fight losing self-destructive battles if you feel you have to, but never forget it.
sib's lemma: Not just as an IC (but as a manager, executive, senior exec, ...).