Living in the Shadow of a Non-Factor

From Managing Humans, by Rands:

The organization's view of your manager is their view of you.  I'm glad you're a C++ rock star, but the problem is, your manager is passive non-communicator who doesn't take the time to grok the political intruigue that's created by any large group of people.  I see him as a non-factor and you're living in the shadow of a non-factor.

I've seen that very thing happen.