Some well-qualified systems engineers resist applying for ESEP because they are near retirement or already have the job of their dreams, and they don't see a personal benefit to becoming an ESEP. And they're right, the value to them getting certified won't come back to them. 

The benefit to an engineering leader becoming an ESEP is that they help define what ESEP means. There is an old joke that someone wouldn't want to be a part of any club that would accept him as a member. This is the opposite. Others will want to be a part of the club that has these folks in it.

The beneficiaries of these leaders becoming ESEPs are other current and future SEPs of all levels. Someone will know what certification is, and that it matters, when they see that their manager is certified. It is about walking the walk.