How can I advance to upper management if I'm not cutthroat enough?
I'm hearing significant conflict between your personal values and the culture of the organization you work for. If that conflict is too large, the easiest answer might be to move to (or start) a different company with values more like your own. Within your current organization, it can be enlightening to seriously and objectively understand the logic behind those decisions. You'll have to distance your own emotions, though. But recognize that understanding doesn't mean you have to agree. Perhaps you would make the decision differently, but you need the context behind it. It's real easy to dislike the impact of a decision when you don't know why it was made. I would have you look around for higher level managers with values more similar to your own. If you can work under them, or have them mentor you, you may get more traction for your ideas and viewpoint. They may help you understand how they've achieved the success they have, and show you how to navigate through the conflicts. You'll need to figure out exactly how far you're willing to bend your own values and principles. It's possible that achieving your goal (C-level position) in your current organization is impossible because you're unwilling to sacrifice your principles. If that's the case, you can then choose to either change your goal or change your organization. It's also possible that you've simplified the situation WAY too much by labeling it as "cutthroat." So spend some time understanding what's really behind these decisions.