Is AUTHOR wrong in the post ? POST : I'm [33M], the woman I took under my wing is [27F], and the guy I didn't want to take under my wing is [30M]. This becomes important later. 

So recently I was promoted to CFO of my firm. It's customary at my firm for each c-suite exec to take an employee in their division as kind of an apprentice/assistant to hone their talent. Basically, the people chosen for these apprenticeships almost always end up in the c-suite sometime in their career. 

I had two real options for who to choose:

Sarah: 27F, she is known in the firm for three things- 1) being extremely productive 2) doing all of her projects excellently and 3) being a huge asshole to her subordinates- think Steve Jobs. 

Sam: He's 3 years older than Sarah, and joined the company far before Sarah did, but he's in the same rank as her. He's hardworking, cordial, and well-liked. He gets his work done, and everyone likes him, but he doesn't have the brilliance or ruthlessness of Sarah. 

I chose Sarah, which the COO disapproved of. He pointed out Sarah's an asshole and doesn't deserve it, while Sam is hardworking and loyal. Maybe, but I'd much rather prefer an assistant that's brilliant, ruthless, and gets things done. The COO just repeated that Sam deserved the promotion more than Sarah.

Aita?