Is the desire for leadership connected to our own vanity?

For some, leadership and vanity are inseparably connected. It is also true that some people are trying to be leaders only for the popularity and prestige that comes as a result.
Maybe I am naive but I still believe that there are leaders whose only aim is to improve the lives of the others, to do what is needed for the improbement of their society. Such bright minds are not guided by vanity and prosperity, they don't dream of people's approval but of real result for their deeds.