Many of the gravest concerns that critics of corporate culture have about the consequences of academic-corporate relationships are built on little more than ill-informed speculation, fueled by a lack of direct engagement with corporations. The solution to knowledge gap--and the key to liberation from fears of "creeping corporatization"--may actually involve more connections with industry, not fewer. The possibility of using partnerships to develop a more nuanced understanding of corporate counterparts led the author to spend over a year studying the dynamics of the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program in Business, a cross-sector collaboration involving universities, companies, a federal government agency, and a nonprofit organization that coordinates the initiative. In this article, the author talks about the LEAD program which points to several practical ideas for moving the dialogue on academic-corporate relationships to a higher plane, one that goes beyond "mine and thine" territorial interests, and its example which suggests that collaborations can provide spaces in which to challenge long held assumptions, reset thinking, and recognize areas of greater compatibility. The author also discusses ways of working with business interests in which academic institutions can constructively engage with corporations.