maximize utility is more like a shorthand for saying "maximize the extent to which your values are being fulfilled."

The goal isn't to get utility points, but whatever your actual goals/values are. Utilities are just a way of keeping track. Utility functions are just a way of representing your values in ways that allows certain kinds of analysis to be applied.

If your values are such that you value having outcomes that fulfill a bunch of your values, then outcomes that squash the others at the expense of one would probably have diminishing returns, depending on, well, your values.