Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Hardship reveals endurance, which most people turn out to have more of than they expected. Power reveals something else, because it removes the corrective feedback that kept behaviour in line: fewer people say no, fewer costs come back to you, and the small unfairnesses stop being reported. That is why the second test is sharper. Difficulty shows what you can bear, and authority shows what you do when bearing nothing.

If you hold any authority at all, including at home, look for what you have stopped hearing. Ask someone with less standing than you what you are like to deal with, and make it safe for them to answer plainly.