I've been in his shoes. After a few years into a job, I looked at all the senior folks (not too senior - say 2 promotions above me), and did not envy any one of them. I did not want to work hard to get to the level they were at, because either the job sucked, the work was too much, or the politics were high (i.e. you have to become a crappy person to do well there).

This is not universal. I've worked in places where there were role models, and where I felt like "Yes, I'd like to put in the extra effort to get those promotions".