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Leadership works at all levels - whether you're a manager working for a higher manager that has IT, or a poor swabbie on the deckplates, leadership is almost tangible, even though it isn't. The first C.O. I had on NIMITZ, CAPT (later ADM) R.C. Williamson was one of those guys. So were several other CPOs and officers I worked for on my way up.
As a guy on the deckplates, though, it was harder for me to relate to the officers - they had little or no idea what it was like to clean the bilges or paint a compartment or align a pressure instrument. So I understand why the manager and coaching staff are necessary, but in no case sufficient. And the more confident you become in your own abilities, the more important it is to have someone continue to challenge you.
When, as a CPO, I was selected to work for ADM Rickover's staff (to be precise, I worked for a guy who answered directly to the Admiral), I thought I was hot stuff. The guy I worked for helped me, but a guy in the office who had started just as I did, and knew the drill, was the guy that showed me (and not taught me) how to do the job right. I hope everybody at least once gets the opportunity to work alongside a guy like him (or Edgar, or Raul).