I've been a "bad faith actor" and I will again if I have the chance. As a development manager I have taken credit for the work of others and exploited multiple companies for my own gain. I personally believe it's foolish to not play the game for ones own benefit.
I appreciate your cynicism/realism, and I don't think you should be voted-down for telling it like it is.
I don't like the idea of taking credit for the work of your staff; but if your team (run by you) gets credit for a job of work, some of that should absolutely be rubbing off on you.
I've always had better things to do than scheming and game-playing. "Life" is about playing games for one's own benefit; I managed fine, without knocking too many other people down. But some people treat Life as zero-sum. That's fine too - but watch as other people steer clear of you.
