Re: not neccessarily very good at brown-nosing...
"One Manager kept marking me down at review time for 'having no ambition'. "
I always find it sad that reviews see ambitions only as a plus point and lack of it as a negative. What's wrong with being happy in what you do? I've seen too many people who are great at their jobs be promoted into something they don't enjoy or can't do and then leave for greener pastures.