Getting Things Done vs Maintaining Things

I've realized that in the workplace, there people are rewarded for doing new things or getting things done.

But maintaining things, keeping things in order, making sure everything is working squeaky clean, these are the things that go unnoticed, and only if something goes wrong will attention be paid to it. It's the engineer who goes on unsung, keeping the trains on time. No matter the competency level, if it's not a high profile job, it won't be rewarded well.