This may be true for Caligula level leaders, but in a dominance hierarchy system, ruthlessness is routinely rewarded and looked at as leadership. An example of this is the fact that top-level executives, and CEOs, in particular, have been shown to have a much higher level of psychopathic traits than the general population. Donald Trump is another example. He's an orange buffoon who lost a huge amount of the money his father left to him, but his ruthless demeanor reads as strength and the sort of toughness that is attractive to many people in a dominance hiearchy system. The "I got mine" attitude that is now so prevalent is another example. If being caring and compassionate were actually a leadership trait that was valued, we wouldn't live in a nation where 1 in 5 children is hungry.