While I allow for ambiguity in determining the actual lead partner in a political dance, for example, who has the primary responsibility to lead efforts to get Political Goods...
Nah, Politicians have to lead these dances by the structure of the system and do unrequited solids that will get them killed and have.
The entire bottom up notion to who should lead and who should follow is structurally unsubstantiated theoretical idealism, at its very best. (Mind, this is strictly within a Liberal Theory of Politics, not my own)
I always invoke LBJ for this consideration who was functionally pressed and had to decide to take lead on Civil Rights, not because he felt it in his heart of hearts, not because he is in some Pantheon Of Civil Rights Leaders, not because the Popular Will was so blaringly in the affirmative for them, but because...
The integrity of The State of itself was at stake and it was better to lead legislative effort and take the lumps than risk whole fucking biscuit in upholding Jim Crow, plus knock on Electoral Benefit immediately.