These days many young leaders are promoted to greater positions of power quicker than ever. It is not unusual for someone in their early forties to hold a senior leadership post in a major organization. I've often wondered can they truly be ready for so much power. Though some are, sadly many are not. Why? More than likely they've never had a constellation of advisers/mentors, and/or they've never had someone whose walked a few miles teach them about power, ethics and courage.
As I've evaluated my own path, I've tried to remember that you must handle the small before you can handle the big. In my past I once had an HR representative declare that they would teach a series of leadership classes (more management than anything). I found that somewhat ironic since she couldn't handle returning phone calls in a timely manner.
And so it goes, we crave power and all the trimmings, but we forget about the span and the impact.