My hierarchy blindness has kept me from promotions, there is no doubt. The older I get, the less able I am to mask how annyoing bad leadership is. I now am better at intellectually grasping the concept of hierarchy, and remembering to give props to whoever is in charge officially--but in groups where there is an informal hierarchy, I suck. This is most true with women. I rarely pay the right homage to whichever Queen Been is elevated. It takes a lot of effort to remember how important it is to everyone else to orient myself in terms of (arbitrary) social status. Another reason I am "out of touch" with my own feelings, because I'm continually trying to have feelings and attitutes wholly unnatural to my instincts!