Quick answer
Competence is noticed by the person it serves. The chapter ends on the ordinary workplace fact that good work earns goodwill.
Read both lines
The setting is a royal court, which for this book's original readers was a realistic career, and the verse describes what any working person recognizes. What ties it to the chapter is the pairing with verse 28: a king's honor is in his people, and a king's favor goes to the servant who serves well, so the relationship runs both directions. The word for the servant is one who acts with insight rather than one who merely obeys, which is the same distinction verse 8 drew between understanding your way and going through motions.
Related: Proverbs 14:28 · Proverbs 22:29 · Proverbs 16:13
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Full copyright information. Scripture provided by API.Bible.
Go Deeper
If this verse has been used to put weight on you that it was never carrying, ask about it directly.