“Which One Is Right?” ​ Years ago, Roger James and I were facilitating a conversation with the board of a local business. We had given them seven different definitions of leadership, drawn from respected scholars and practitioners. ​ One board member looked increasingly frustrated. Finally, he interrupted. ​ “Which one is right? They’re all different.” ​ For a moment, I didn’t know how to answer. ​ Not because I lacked an answer, but because the question itself revealed something important....

By Mary V. Gelinas What is your highest and deepest intention—as a leader, as a member of an organization or community, as a family member, as a friend? ​ And how does that intention shape your attention? To what, and to whom, do you give your heed? ​ The root of intention comes from the Old French entendre or intendre—to direct one’s attention. In modern French, it primarily means “to hear.” The root of attention, also from Old French (attencion), means to give heed to, to stretch toward. ​...

Relational Integrity Changes the Field Jean and I were friends for decades. In graduate school, as I struggled to finish my dissertation, she gave me a gift I’ve never forgotten: “Don’t try to do your best work. Just get it done.” It freed me—and I finished. ​ Years later, we found ourselves living near each other again. I was thrilled. But over time, something shifted. In our conversations, I had become the “dedicated listener.” I valued that role—but I also longed to be heard. The balance...