If authority and leadership were reversed in your reply it would make more sense.

While leadership can lead to authority, leadership relationships unlike authoritative ones can arise consensually among piers. I don't think there's anything inherent to the concept of a leader (in the sense of one who guides by going first) that is dependent on hierarchy.

If you want to lead and no one wants to follow then you go alone. If you need the authority to force people to follow you, well.. that's more about desire for power than desire to reach stated goals.