Well, given today's sad news that at the age of 88 Sir Edmund Hillary has past away, I think I'll write my essay on him. He did, afterall serve in the RNZAF and he was a leader in both the physical and social sense. He was certainly inspiritaional.
No argument on the inspirational bit. I saw him in 1991 at Lukla while waiting for a helicopter back to Kathmandu. I believe this was the first airstrip he built in Nepal back in the '50s. No road to bring equipment in, so he simply got the sherpas to line up and go up and down the 1:10 slope, picking up all the boulders until only gravel remained. He was on oxygen and not looking very well, but he still insisted on making his annual visit to Nepal. He was regarded as royalty in Nepal - well, better than royalty in the light of recent events there - so whichever aircraft came in first was his!
Purely for leadership, one might suggest that John Hunt is worth considering too ... a band of strong-minded heroes like the '53 Everest expedition is a major challenge for any leader!!!