My personal opinion:
Sr.Mod is never measured by who got Moderator first, who got the most votes from the community, or who is the most active. It is the accumulation of so many little things that you do. Those little things are what distinguish you from the others, making you special and your presence irreplaceable. Everyone has their positives and negatives. Sr.Mod is the one with the least amount of those negatives, or the smallest ones. Someone that never combines their friendships with business. You might think this is a normal trait to have as a staff-member, and you're correct! But you should always keep in mind that people actually do different than what they say.