It begins with personal awareness and the willingness to confront the ego.
This is only my sense of things. Others may differ and be right: It begins with personal awareness and the willingness to confront the ego. This does not mean that the leader disappears. It means that the leader reappears in the midst of others as someone willing to serve them and promote shared values and promote hope. It requires cultural competencies including language and a knowledge of history, culture and symbols. This is partially an intellectual/cognitive acquisition but also one fed through experience. It requires physical and emotional energy and resilience. I am not sure where this comes from although there are studies of how resilience is created. It is also important that the leader knows the importance of these gifts and how to restore them without succumbing to self-indulgence. It requires external sponsorship, validation and support not just at the outset of the career but throughout although over time the leaders should be able to pay back that support by nurturing leadership in others. It actually requires some understanding of democratic or at least political processes and organization. While it is important to challenge structures and even break the rules, it is naive and irresponsible to subject followers or organizations to rule breaking through ignorance or lack of sophistication. Finally, it requires an absolute commitment to be within and respect the community one seeks to lead or serve.