Also, some people are assertive in some situations but less so in others.

That said, I can understand your frustration. What you may be running up against is that their motives and goals in doing this may be different to yours. You are looking for excellence, they may be seeking inclusivity. The two are not always compatible.

I'm not sure - I think they may be equally bad in thier respective ways.

Ahhhhh, leadership. Great topic.

Assertiveness is but one of many traits required by a good leader. There has to be a balance of many traits to motivate the group to do things they don't necessarily want to do.

So true, so true.

Additionally, in business, the key to being a good subordinate leader is to have effective leaders over you.

Lead , follow; or, get out of the way.

We talk about leadership a bit in the Army. One word: influence. Transactional/transformational....bah..I don't care, know your people, know yourself, figure out which works best in which situations with which people...or do the job yourself...but then that wouldn't be leadership, that would be me working by myself.

Yes, we talk about leadership a bit in the other Army too (the unconventional one). The "Transactional or transformational?" choice was, of course, a red herring: flexibility in style is integral to good leadership. Influence is a big part of the equation; but, if influence doesn't in some way create synergism ... it's just management.

Doing the job yourself can be leadership if you've determined that you're the best qualified to do the job. Taking ownership would be leading by example. :)