Nationalities and cultures aside, we are usually measured by tests.
Most of the testing I endured seemed to want to measure who were the followers who would be the leaders to carry out orders and who were the lone troublemakers. Personality inventories measured anything but personality. MEASURING SUBJECT MATTER MASTERY IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THING. I'm talking about things like what Naval Intel or the CIA tests were like desperately trying to hide their agenda.
I hope that the scales that weigh ability is more advanced today.
Most people have a high intelligence in one localized area. Outside of that one area there is often a vast wasteland. The merits of a jeopardy champion who has an omni command of facts is not my idea of practaical intelligence or wisdom.

In conclusion the people who excel or go into politics are usually the very people who should not be in politics. Those who seek to control or have power are the least likely to benefit civilization.
There is a strong likelyhood that those who seek CEO status are social psychopaths. Thats why the real social leaders be it Mandella, Ghandi or MLK tend to be imprisoned or martyrs.