The principle
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Stand out, be distinctive, be talked about — better to be slandered than ignored.
The application
Cultivate one signature people can describe in a sentence: a phrase, a posture, a kind of work no one else does. Mystery beats charisma; people pursue what they cannot quite categorise.
The defensive tell — how to spot it being run on you
When a colleague keeps doing something faintly theatrical that does not serve the work, do not assume vanity — assume strategy. Attention is the substrate they are accumulating; the work is the cover. Decide whether their visibility helps or eclipses yours and act accordingly.