Although it is not always the case in a world where it’s more important what something looks like than what it is below the surface – power should come as a natural consequence of aptitude and competence.

May it happen through the span of your life and career that you gain a certain amount of power and influence due to all you’ve done (presuming you earned your position with effort, knowledge and intelligence) don’t get cocky. The benefits you’ll get with the position of power were never meant for you as a person. Don’t congratulate yourself too much because the respect is aimed at the position you hold. Most of those people don’t know your soul and haven’t had enough contact with you to respect you as a person, they respect the image you portray and the cause you stand for. Once you leave the position the benefits stay with your successor, you don’t take them with you. They were not given to be swooned over but to eliminate as much white noise as possible and allow you to perform as well as possible at what you do best.

Your position is therefore not made to be valued as sign of status but as a real chance to use your power and influence to do some good. Sure, take the perks that come with it but don’t for a second confuse it for a cult of your personality. Inflation of ego begins at the point you start confusing the position and yourself, and this leads to bad selfish decisions. Your job here is to employ your skills for some goal, advance, get as good and competent in it as you can and step away once you see someone can do it better than you. You never did or could do it alone, so work hard, keep your eye on the ball, stay humble and say thank you for having had the chance to do something worthwhile, whatever that is for you.