The leader always rides

The leader must include themselves on every team they propose. The printed rules let the leader assign team tokens to any players at all, themselves included or not, and proposing a team you are not on is a real move — it is how a spy avoids having to choose a card, and how a loyal servant tries to look selfless. Requiring the leader to ride removes it: every proposal is a claim the leader is willing to back with their own quest card, and the table can stop spending discussion on whether a leader is hiding behind their own team.