Leading is mostly about getting others to adopt your goals and point of view. As such, a visionary science-fiction writer with a popular following is de facto a technology leader. For the better or worse...
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Sounds like mentorship or coaching to me. Leadership as I see it does set directions and values and does achieve well-defined goals. Maybe universities have no need of leaders in that sense?
Leadership as "setting directions, values, providing inspiration" does not require a hierarchical structure at all. Anyone can lead. Some scifi writers are in fact powerful leaders in that sense. And of course, so is Disney. One of the most powerful entity in the world
