> but those citations are ultimately irrelevant in the grand scheme of things

It depends on your goal. Is it enough to know that your work is excellent, or do you also want it to be used by others?

I've worked with researchers who had brilliant ideas that never caught on in their field, at least partly because they neglected to develop relationships with colleagues.

(I've similarly worked on products that failed in the market, partly because the teams believed that a focus on technical superiority was sufficient.)