Much is known about the traits and behaviors that influence leader emergence. Less is known about how specific types of situational contexts can impact why individuals with certain traits emerge as leaders within their respective groups. In this study, the situational context (collective regulatory focus or CRF) was manipulated to assess whether group members with matching motivational orientations (chronic regulatory focus) were more likely to be perceived as leaders within those groups. Drawing from regulatory fit theory, individuals with specific types of chronic regulatory focus should fit as leaders in groups where the CRF matches their predisposition. Furthermore, groups should also prefer and prioritize tasks that fit with their collective goal pursuit strategy. Results showed that promotion-focused individuals were somewhat more likely to emerge in promotion CRF contexts and prioritize tasks that matched their CRF. However, these differences were weak. Motivation to lead and personality traits like extraversion and conscientiousness were found to have the greatest impact on leader emergence across CRF conditions. Limitations of the study and potential future directions are discussed.