Doesn’t everybody want to be successful? MOTO. Anyway, here’s my two cents worth on your question about how one becomes a Chief Pilot.
At my airline, it seems that management RECRUITS management. That is, when there is an opening, someone from management approaches YOU and asks you to submit a resume. If you approach your job as if becoming a Chief Pilot is your goal, I think you’ll find, as others have already stated in this thread, that you’ll quickly be labeled as a management butt kisser…not a good place to be. You can want the job, but you have to act like it’s no big deal. Going the training and standards path is a good choice (also already mentioned in this thread) because it puts you in a small group of dedicated individuals who are demonstrating that they are willing to do a necessary job, for little extra benefit, simply because it needs to be done and they want to contribute to the bigger picture. That kinda sounds like what you intended by your remark about “not wanting to stay at one level.”

I think you'll find the job of just being a good (not just adequate) Captain pretty challenging.

So, did I help, or just confuse you more?