Social work: leading by inclusion, not authority

This Special Issue on Leadership in Social Work emerged from a shared realization that, despite the critical role of leadership as both a facilitator of effective professional practice and a demonstration of social work's commitment to creating fairer and more equitable societies, there is limited evidence regarding its distinct characteristics and impacts.There is also little published to date on how leadership can be best nurtured and supported within the context of social work professional responsibilities and an oftenhostile working environment.To respond to such gaps in knowledge and opportunities for learning, this Special Issue was coordinated by an editorial team assembled through the Universitas 21 Social Work Community of Practice.Editors contributed their professional, lived, and/or academic experience and in addition to guiding, promoting, and reviewing for the special issue, jointly crafted this editorial through collective reflection of the special issue content and our discussions together.The editorial team would like to express our gratitude to the extensive network of reviewers who offered informed