“You say that leading through coercion would be self-defeating…”

I did not say that. I said that using coercion to eradicate coercion is self-defeating.

Your taste in movies is vastly different from mine.

I prefer science fiction. Captains James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, Benjamin Sisko, and Jonathan Archer use strategy rather than violence when confronted with a hostile enemy. They would use force only when necessary for self-defense. Even then, they would avoid deadly force (set phasers on stun).

Babylon Five was an interplanetary United Nations (United Worlds?). Its entire premise was diplomacy, negotiation, and prevention of armed conflict.

In most science fiction series, the heroes are strategic thinkers.

My wife is not a science fiction fan. We watch westerns together. Those movies do not rely on the principle of “might makes right.” In their world, “right makes might.”

We also watch comedies and sometimes romantic comedies together. One of my favorite romantic comedies is “Fifty First Dates.”

“…the “toughest” and the “most ruthless” is viewed as being in possession of leadership skills.”

The toughest and most ruthless possess leadership positions (not necessarily skills) because they can. Think prison gang leaders.