In my career travels from burger flipper at 13 to skateboard assembler and touring rock musician at 21 to media president at 35 and CMO at 40, I've worked with some incredible talent—and some huge personalities. So far, what I can tell you about success and failure is this: Those who falter on the way up (and sometimes at the top) often crash at the intersection of Ambition and Detachment.
They push for a promotion before they've come close to grasping (let alone mastering) the skills—hard and soft—required for their current role or even the ones they previously held. Then as team leaders, they focus solely on the big picture and the next career step, never taking a moment to learn, grow or check in on the people they're supposed to support and serve.
As a result, they lack the tools and hard-won tactical experience to help their teams in times of trouble, and they're out of touch with both the work and the culture. These folks end up inept, ineffectual and a drag on everyone around them. Yuck.
My advice: read, stay curious and study up; get your hands in the work without meddling; spend time with your colleagues and find out what keeps them up at night. Mow down problems for others when you can, and always keep it moving. Then celebrate their wins (and your own) together.