Why Good People Leave...And Others Lose Their Spark

We are raised to believe that power carries duty and that true leadership stands for protection, guidance, and fairness.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” we are told, a phrase meant to inspire.

But in practice, the moment power lands in someone's hands, ideals often give way to ambition.

Responsibility shifts into permission to dominate, silence, and treat people as steps on a ladder.

In many institutions, offices, schools, and social circles, power becomes a career push. Those at the top rarely rise alone, but the people who helped them often fade into silence, or worse, face exploitation.

Subordinates become tools, with efforts claimed, voices ignored, and respect sacrificed, all in the name of“success.”

What makes this more disturbing is how normalised it has become.

Exploitation wears the mask of discipline. Humiliation is justified as authority. Overworking others is called“pressure of responsibility.” And questioning power is seen as rebellion rather than courage.

Slowly, people start believing that suffering under someone powerful is the price one must pay to survive.

Power, in such a setup, flows only in one direction.

Orders go down, credit goes up. Mistakes travel downward, while achievements are claimed upward.

Those at the lower rungs are expected to be loyal, obedient, and endlessly grateful, even when they are being used. Their growth is delayed, so that someone else can shine faster.

The tragedy is that many who misuse power were once victims of the same system. They know what it feels like to be unheard, overlooked, and underestimated.

But instead of breaking the cycle, they repeat it.

Power intoxicates, and it creates an illusion that success achieved at the cost of others is justified, and that stepping on people is strategy.

Over time, this mindset hardens into habit, and habit turns into culture.

This culture seeps into everyday interactions. Meetings become one sided. Ideas from those in power are applauded, while the same ideas, if voiced by someone junior, are ignored or ridiculed. Promotions reward obedience rather than merit. Fear replaces trust.

People stop speaking honestly, because they know honesty has consequences.

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