This chapter examines how statements and models about “good leadership” are built on underlying assumptions that benefit from critical examination. Trait-based approaches, for instance, emphasize a leader’s personal traits and competencies as key to success, while behavioral models focus on what successful leaders do. Situational or contingency approaches suggest that effective leadership varies depending on the context, linking behavior to specific situations. However, many well-known leadership models fall short in capturing the true complexity of leadership. They are often overly idealized, focus narrowly on the leader rather than the leadership relationship, ignore the broader leadership environment, remain static, and claim a universality that doesn’t align with the diverse realities of leadership.