I guess I have to wonder why you're asking the question. I'd rather have a friend than a leader, for example. Even when I was living in the big temple with two gods and lots of shinki, I don't think we ever felt like there was a leader - we were all just a family, a team.

I was supposed to be excited about the idea of becoming an Exemplar for a temple, according to the older shinki. An Exemplar is a leader among the shinki. And yet, it seems like you can't actually aspire to be one. You either are or you aren't; whichever shinki has been with the temple the longest, that's the Exemplar apparently - for the new gods, anyway.

And if that's how things are, then I don't think it's a fair way to pick leaders at all.