What you're saying is in line with the PIE adage/principle:

Performance counts for 10% of your career progression; Image counts for 30%, Exposure for 60%.

Obviously whoever came up with this adage plucked the numbers out of thin air, but the point stands.

First search hit on duckduckgo for your convenience: https://arrowheadconsulting.com/2021/02/24/the-p-i-e-theory-...