It must feel like meritocracy. Like when ranking, particularly in strict order, is not the norm - so Terrence Tao doesn't see himself "on top" of anything. Moreover it must imply some solid grounding and a good understanding of how someone's actions are not expected to be correlated with their reputation. This is especially the case where getting the results is a personal or strictly team effort, not a popularity contest.

It can be unexpeted for anyone that's operating in the regular business, corporate, VC and general academic landscape where politics rule while meritocracy is a feel good motivator while popularity is the real coin.