Leadership: a vague, ill-defined buzzword, or the ‘blind spot’ of our time? By being part of the MSLS programme, we get in touch with some of the finest leadership literature, research and practitioners, while at the same time, in the ‘outer world’, there seems to be a serious lack of leadership in institutions of every kind, whether they are public, private or in civil society. As a student in the MSLS programme it is easy to forget the ‘real world’ outside of campus, while being surrounded by so many inspiring peers and professionals in and related to the programme. Two prominent thought leaders that provided guest lectures over the last months include Göran Carstedt, former CEO of IKEA and Volvo, and dr. Otto Scharmer, senior lecturer at MIT and founder of the Presencing Institute. What has their thinking contributed to my view on and connection with leadership?