Your problem was that you tried doing work. What you want to do as an employee is make it so they can’t fire you not that you are actually useful.
I got further faster by just answering emails right away than by churning out code. I got constant kudos, which got me promoted, and invited to more meetings, which led to less actual work. All because I just started replying to emails sent to our group. In retrospect it feels pretty perverse.
In lean companies and startups...perhaps not so much.
It is very simple: you are a good employee if your boss(es) think you are.
That’s it. Nothing else matters in terms of career advancement or retainment.