I have no problem interpreting that as both humor/irony and also completely serious advice. It's potentially like saying "Make sure your priorities are in order. If you aren't actually adding value, you won't be a success. You can always be fired if you manage to get promoted and then can't actually deliver after tooting your own horn enough to get there."
It may be important to set a goal of getting promoted but you also need to qualify for the promotion and that's, at least in theory, about actually doing good work, not buttonholing the right people and having the perfect resume.
It may be important to set a goal of getting promoted but you also need to qualify for the promotion and that's, at least in theory, about actually doing good work, not buttonholing the right people and having the perfect resume.