In any movement, some people will be more influential than others. In any hierarchical organisation, some will have formal leadership roles. 

Democracy and accountability: Leadership is a particular challenge for the left. We care about democracy and accountability – probably more than our opponents – and it’s tricky to balance these with having sufficiently flexible, empowered leaders. And because we are not currently dominant, we face a permanent risk that our leaders will be tempted by rewards that only our enemies can offer, most obviously wealth and power. Accountability is vital so that the movement can make its own decisions about what compromises to make.

Personality: The traits of effective leadership include vision, charisma, communication and ambition, as well as strategic and tactical skill. How can we harness such powerful personalities while minimising the downsides? These include the risk of leaders accumulating too much power and status, of it going to their heads and of their becoming too resistant to criticism and being held to account. This is especially significant given how personality driven contemporary politics is – to what extent must we embrace or resist this?