I think it depends on a lot of factors... for example, I've been on teams where it's clear that the direction of the team and its manager were different from my

I think it depends on a lot of factors... for example, I've been on teams where it's clear that the direction of the team and its manager were different from my career goals or needs - so time to go. I've been on teams in which it did veer toward unbridled favoritism, and then it was also time to get out. On the other hand, I've certainly seen plenty of situations in which it is simply a good leader / manager trying to get everyone pointed in the right direction by using the actions / words of the team as reinforcement for what they want to see more. It's almost Pavlovian in that regard, Ie: the manager tells you what make's their bell ring / give him or her their cookie, etc.