Leading Tasks in a Leaderless Movement: The Case of Strategic Voting

Leadership has proven to be a difficult concept to define, with the proliferation of definitions of leadership being more notable than any individual definition. This paper 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 while leadership was not evident in strategic voting, organizers did identify, prioritize and take action on specific leading tasks.