That terminology sounds almost military. Is that in your past? Because you'll have to throw out the services mindset where there is both a structured path upwards and a structured chain of command. Those things are great for organising massive amounts of people towards difficult goals, but that's not necessarily the right fit for software development.

To me most of the boxing in is done in your own mind. In my last corporate job I was a team lead who never touched the code. I was supposed to go though my manager for stuff, but he was the problem. I learnt to go straight to the CEO - most of the time the 'open door policy' isn't just lip service.

Many people face the problem in their careers that they think there is a stuctured hierarchy where you can't jump levels for problem solving, initiative or anything like that. So do stuff like that. Your job is really to make the company run as well as possible, whether that is coding or leading changes that need to be made. Staying in your box really means staying in a box that someone else has designed for you, and being successful means spreading your influence by whatever means. Just don't be an a-hole and treat everyone with respect, even those who disagree with you.