James Ochieng is described as "technically excellent" yet "strategically irrelevant." Have you ever experienced this disconnect in your own career? What did it feel like?
The book describes the "hero trap" as a pattern where being indispensable actually limits your growth. Can you identify hero behaviors in yourself or colleagues? What makes them so hard to give up?
David Mutua serves as a cautionary example, someone who remained technically brilliant but professionally stuck. What distinguishes those who escape the Basement from those who don't?
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