I actually believe that a small percentage of people want to climb the hierarchy. Based on books I've read, finding meaning in their work, either locally (how it helps the company) or globally (how does my work serve human welfare), is far more important for most people.

It's sad that our society is organized so that people who find meaningful work are stiffed by our society (teacher salaries, for example).

Seeking power is probably a miswant anyways. I think what many people desire is the social stability that it presents, something that is probably more easily achieved via volunteer work.

I think the desire for power is manufactured.