Sustainable leadership has become a significant focus in educational leadership. Still, concerns persist regarding the clarity of its definitions and their impact addressing critical educational needs. This study employs a systematic review to address these definitional challenges. Seven themes emerge, categorized into three meta-themes: effectiveness and impact, sustainability systems thinking, and collaborative responsibility and future orientation. These findings reveal the diversity of sustainable leadership themes and challenge the assumption that achieving a universal definition is the key to collaborative progress. This methodologically rigorous study enhances our understanding of sustainable leadership in education, offering valuable insights for further research.