I think there is a truth here about the importance of luck in making it to the top of the pyramid at a company. If you ask (almost) any top executive they will

I think there is a truth here about the importance of luck in making it to the top of the pyramid at a company. If you ask (almost) any top executive they will claim it is their ability/hard work. Very few are honest enough to describe the several points of good fortune they had along the way. Being the right person in the right place at the right time is a big factor. I have worked at more than one company where some high up boss is very young. Then you discover they started with the company when it was starting out and have therefore risen as the high growth occurred. Sure they worked hard, had to learn and grow into the new roles. But the majority of people never luck into that kind of golden opportunity.