Monica, thanks for the insightful post.  I think you've hit the mark here.

In my experience there are those that aspire to leadership for the reasons you listed above.  They want to connect with others and create something- bigger than themselves- that serves a deeply meaningful purpose.

There are also those whose aspirations trace their roots to ambition (naked or otherwise) and this, I believe, it also where the potential for poor leadership is most prevalent. Instead of connecting &amp; creating for a cause these types seek to command and control for their career or some other self-centric goal.

The most effective leaders I've ever encountered in the military and civilians worlds have been those who were "called" to it (via nobel aspiration) or recognized the moment when their leadership was needed.  They assumed the mantle of leadership without hesitation and with a deep conviction that the cause was bigger than themselves.

@emergentinsight