Leading Tasks in a Leaderless Movement

Leadership has proven a difficult concept to define, with the proliferation of definitions of leadership being more notable than any individual definition. This article takes a different approach to understanding leadership dynamics by identifying and studying “leading tasks.” Specifically, tasks associated with leadership in existing research are enumerated. Using data on two “strategic voting” mobilizations in 2000 and 2004, the empirical salience of various leading tasks to key organizers is traced and explained. The data suggest that although leadership was not evident in strategic voting, organizers did identify, prioritize, and take action on specific leading tasks.