Exactly; people in power, especially in large organizations, are very nearly a self-selecting group. In the military, for example, to make it to the upper levels, you have to make a conscious choice not to retire after 20 years and instead continue to play the game. The type of person who continues to work in those circumstances are the ones who do it to gain power or prestige.
That's an obvious choice in the military, but it exists in large organizations everywhere; do I work longer hours and play the office politics so I can rise to the top, or do I go home at 5?
That's an obvious choice in the military, but it exists in large organizations everywhere; do I work longer hours and play the office politics so I can rise to the top, or do I go home at 5?