The Tyranny of the Nerds

I'm not in principle against meritocracy as long as we understand what it means and the competition is fair. I think nerdiness itself isn't actually a quality of character at all, maybe a quality of intellect and performance. But the selective college system that supposedly that does select for these nerds creates a certain kind of character. And it's a terrible character for leadership. So do we want that we need technocrats? Do we want them to be in charge? What other aspects are important for effective leadership?