Every real leader had a vision of what he or she wished to achieve. It was that way with both Col. Chamberlain and Eugene Kranz. Both imagined what they wanted long before an actual crisis occurred. They prepared for possibilities of what could occur. When the time came for choices and action, they were able to do so while remaining level-headed.
We all have our own values and belief system and obviously there will be some distinctions. The distinctions are constantly welcome since it allows us to see things from a different point of view. Some of us want to take a stand for what our company believe in while others won't. They will roll over and play good. Those that know "John" know that he will inform you that your head is up your rear end if that is what you require to hear.
Those that say: This leader feeds you to the sharks. You never ever truly know where you stand with these leader leadership types. Words like "When I did this" or "This is how I did it" yet all you hear are their words and no actions to confirm their statements. Other guidelines include such things as "it's out there now go get it!" as they point you to the edge of the plank.
You're dreaming if you had informed me a year ago that I would be able to turn a 250 pound guy with ease I would have told you. Yet gradually, with sufficient technique and the guidance of those that have actually gone ahead of me, I too have actually discovered that all things are possible.
My intuitive answer then is the exact same as my well-studied answer now: leadership is appropriate to every one of us. Consider all the ways you engage in life, whether a few of those remain in a service function or not. I'll bet that you'll find that you are a leader in some of your roles.
The first thing that he did was discover where we stood as a group. The outcome was that we were inefficient, demoralized and lost. The 2nd thing that he did was discover where we wished to go as a group. After our knee jerk response of "get the hell far from jellyfish!" we realized that although we really loved our job and did not really wish to go somewhere else, we needed types of leadership in businesses to discover a method to deal with jellyfish in an effective way that did not include a sentence of 25-life. We desired cohesion, team effort and a sense of worth to what we do. We wished to know where we stood in our "management's" ability to back us when decisions were made and not try to blame us for their failure to do what they were supposed to do.
There is no doubt that the worth of leadership through recession and bumpy rides is the distinction between success and stopping working. The bright side is you get to make the choice yourself what type of leader you wish to be for people following you.