Edit - There's some incredible gems of advice in the comments here (especially for a mid-level career person like myself). I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time out and contributing and writing their thoughts down.
(I am a senior technical resource in an environment like you describe. Read this after I was pretty far along but it basically sounds like how I operated to get where I am.)
Don't waste time. Be mission/vision focused. Be polite to everyone always. Be helpful whenever possible. Be insanely organized. Do not be That Guy/Gal who is always forgetting things, late to meetings, doing the wrong thing, asking stupid questions about stuff that's already been covered in meetings, etc. Seek and respond to constructive feedback on your work. Do the sh#t work without whining. All of this will build human capital with other people in the organization, which will both practically give you more resources of help from others to draw on in your work requirements, but also increases your visibility with people who aren't on the front lines doing the work (e.g. Management). That visibility gives you the means to move in whatever direction you might desire. It also (for want of a better way to put it) usually tends to help make you layoff-proof because people know you are competent, professional, and have some flexibility to work as part of a team.
None of this means you are anyone other than who you are. Don't kiss anyone's a##, but also don't be an a##hole. At the end of the day with two people even remotely similar in "technical" capability, personal behavior will matter for increasing your effectiveness within any organization.
Maybe you're blocked in some areas, but are there others where you can help with your unique combination of knowledge and experience?
It doesn't even have to be directed at the core of the project. Some teams aren't good at creating infrastructure; maybe there's a need in the areas of documentation, devops, or bug tracking and fixing. Stuff others don't want to touch.
Consider starting there. (And always be thinking about your next move.)
A lot of people talk about playing the game. You don't have to play any game. Besides delivering the best quality work, Be helpful to everyone around you - including your boss, his boss, your peers, etc. Emotional intelligence is a huge component in driving one's career forward. Be sensitive to everyone around you. Know when to say and what to say at which time.
In addition to marypublic mentioned about being organized, I would say being able to communicate/articulate your ideas and turn them from complex details to simple nuggets of information.
I knew a VP who always seemed to move up, even though his projects failed. It eventually caught up to him. He wasn't being authenticate.
For example, in a technical organization, one dimension might be ability to quickly create production level code. Another dimension might be ability to refactor legacy code.
In a sales organization the dimensions might be different e.g. ability to make existing customers happy vs ability to find new customers.
NOTE: even in the same company, one group may have different dimensions than other groups.
The key is to:
a. figure out which dimensions your company/group/manager are using to define value
b. if there are multiple dimensions, try to find the ones that are easiest/most natural for you but are hardest/least natural for others
c. focus on maximizing b
d. profit
Case in point: I once worked at a high frequency trading firm. I was one of the few people WITHOUT a STEM PhD. However, I was much better, relatively speaking, at over the phone customer interactions/support. Within a month of being there I was made Head of Customer Support purely as a function of being the group member with the best people skills.
Another key point, be wary of creating "Unspoken Covenants" e.g. "If I do X, my manager should do Y".
No they don't.
Go to your manager and say propose a mutually beneficial agreement. e.g.
You: "I would like an increase in salary/title/benefits/vacation days. I know that's a big ask but I know you value sales/code quality/production rate, correct?"
Manager: "Why, yes I do!"
You: "Great. I can improve that thanks to %ABILITY. If I do that can I get my initial ask?"
They should be saying "Hell yes!!" at this point. If not, you may have either misjudged what they value or you are dealing with someone who doesn't believe in mutually beneficial agreements.
To a certain extent, you always have to play some politics wherever you work unless it is just you with maybe one or two others. Some workplaces are less influenced by them (tech being an example when compared to finance or management consulting) and other games are played without realizing it on both sides (Do you tell your boss their idea is "stupid" or do you try to explain the reasoning why your idea is superior? Alternately, your boss won't be too excited to bring you in on a new idea if you only tell them their ideas are stupid).
You work in an environment with people. The better you do, the more people with whom you will likely have to interact and the more you'll probably have to play the game. Environments that deal with human interaction are going to be subject to some form of politics simply because people are going to be more inclined to assist those they like over those they don't (quality of work being fairly comparable).
If you don't like the political atmosphere of where you work, there is nothing wrong with that. The best option is to probably find another place to work that has fewer games (or more, if that's what your into). Politics tend to be a cultural thing and changing the culture of a workplace is... hard. Unless you are in a position of power, you won't be able to drive that change without bringing people to your side which, ironically, requires that you play some of the games.
Also be polite, respect others and smile.
Simple it may sound but it is often lacking for whatever reasons.
Also, don't confuse it with politics or playing game... it is as important as being smart and hard-working...
Nash, http://joday.com