In my experience, in any team, there is usually one person who is at the forefront of the team. This is the person who is the first to go in to battle the blaze, so to speak. To light the way.
In terms of misery, they all bleed the same red blood. I've been on both sides, and while the reward for the leader's extra pain can make it worth doing many times, for the rank and file it is usually only a good tradeoff in their first project / when they are young.