Curently in the game there are three was to increase your Leadership skill:
1) Recruit a lot of troops (gives you very small amount of skill XP)
2) Maintain high morale (gives you small but more or less stable amount of skill XP)
3) Assemble and lead armies (the only real way to increase that skill IMHO)
And the last one is the problem. You cannot assemble armies if you are not a vassal or a king. So, if you are neutral or a mercenary, you cannot level your Leadership skill properly. I found this to be a problem, as I recently started my playthrough as a mercenary clan (company) of knights/cavalry, and getting some Vlandian noble troops are a bit of a problem. Noble recruits are a rare sight in villages and almost impossible to find in towns, but there's a Disciplinarian perk at Leadership skill of 125, which allows to convert most bandits into the noble troops.
BUT
you can't level your Leadership properly if you are not a vassal or a king.
Suggestions:
1) Allow mercenaries and neutrals to gather armies (but only made of your clan parties) AND/OR
2) Make more ways to level your Leadership, for example by winning battles, especially when odds are not in your favor
3) Something different, which didn't come to my mind.
1) Recruit a lot of troops (gives you very small amount of skill XP)
2) Maintain high morale (gives you small but more or less stable amount of skill XP)
3) Assemble and lead armies (the only real way to increase that skill IMHO)
And the last one is the problem. You cannot assemble armies if you are not a vassal or a king. So, if you are neutral or a mercenary, you cannot level your Leadership skill properly. I found this to be a problem, as I recently started my playthrough as a mercenary clan (company) of knights/cavalry, and getting some Vlandian noble troops are a bit of a problem. Noble recruits are a rare sight in villages and almost impossible to find in towns, but there's a Disciplinarian perk at Leadership skill of 125, which allows to convert most bandits into the noble troops.
BUT
you can't level your Leadership properly if you are not a vassal or a king.
Suggestions:
1) Allow mercenaries and neutrals to gather armies (but only made of your clan parties) AND/OR
2) Make more ways to level your Leadership, for example by winning battles, especially when odds are not in your favor
3) Something different, which didn't come to my mind.