Patten, R. M. (2023).  Intentional leadership: The Big 8 capabilities setting leaders apart.  University of Toronto Press.

Authors

  • Erika Nelson University of Alberta
  • Leticia Nadler Gomez University of Alberta
  • Marwa Younes University of Alberta

Abstract

Effective leadership is not a matter of chance, but the result of deliberate, intentional development of specific capabilities. In Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart, Rose M. Patten argues that specific capabilities are what can set leaders apart. Considering how the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic affected leadership more broadly, leadership techniques and methods were forced to evolve during such emergencies. In responding to these societal shifts, this book plots a clear path for exploring whether and how leadership needs to adapt. Intentional Leadership is truly, “…moving from command and control to connect and collaborate,” (Patten, 2023, p.87) as Patten engages the reader with accounts from different leaders ranging from CEOs to government officials to academics, leaving all readers to take away learnings relevant and applicable to their own contexts.

Author Biographies

  • Erika Nelson, University of Alberta

    Erika Nelson is a PhD Candidate at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education, with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration. 

  • Leticia Nadler Gomez, University of Alberta

    Leticia Nadler Gomez is a PhD Candidate at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education, with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration.

  • Marwa Younes, University of Alberta

    Marwa Younes is a PhD Candidate at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education, with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration.

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Patten, R. M. (2023). Intentional leadership: The Big 8 capabilities setting leaders apart. University of Toronto Press.

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Published

2026-05-15

Issue

No. 208 (2026)

Section

Book Reviews

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Erika Nelson, Leticia Nadler Gomez, Marwa Younes

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