Leadership is about...

1. Leadership requires personal mastery: Nurses demonstrate leadership when they show competence ad mastery in tasks they perform. Nurses are deemed competent by means of license to practice nursing (NLN 2010).

2. Leadership is about values: "Leaders know what they value. They also recognize the importance of ethical behavior. The best leaders exhibit both their values and their ethics in their leadership style and actions" (About.com, Leadership Values and Ethics). "Nurse leaders use the hospital vision and values as guiding principles on which to act" (http://www.oumedicine.com).

3. Leadership is about service:

"The true leader serves. Serves people. Serves their best interests, and in doing so will not always be popular, may not always impress. But because true leaders are motivated by loving concern than a desire for personal glory, they are willing to pay the price."

— Eugene B. Habecker
in The Other Side of Leadership

"Good leaders must first become good servants."

— Robert Greenleaf

4. Leadership is about people and relationships: "The deeper your relationship, the stronger your leadership."

"For example, 24 studies reported that leadership styles focused on people and relationships (transformational, resonant, supportive, and consideration) were associated with higher nurse job satisfaction" (Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: a systematic review).

5. Leadership is contextual: "Because the current workforce is made up of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages, education, ethnicity, experience, and culture; and because leadership is often faced with a rapidly changing business environment, a single leadership style cannot be expected to be effective with every person, or in every situation. The best leadership style is "the style that works". The leadership style that works is a result of taking into account all the components or forces in the situation or "the context"' (http://www.jsri.com/jsri-contextual-leadership.html).

"Contextual leadership implies both a capability to discern trends in the face of complexity and uncertainty as well as adaptability while still trying to shape events. It allows leaders to adjust their style to the situation and to their followers’ needs" (http://www.business-leadership-qualities.com/contextual-leadership.html).

6. Leadership is about the management of meaning: "Leadership is about the 'management of meaning,' and that leaders emerge because of their role in framing experience in a way that provides the basis for action; that is, by mobilizing meaning, articulating and defining what has previously remained implicit or unsaid, by inventing images and meanings that provide a focus for new attention and by consolidating, confronting or changing prevailing wisdom" (Robert Birnbaum, How Colleges Work, 1998).

I also found good information in the book “Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators” that talked about management of meaning being the second competency of leadership. It states that, “Nursing leaders transform the social architecture or culture of health care organizations by using group discussion, agreement, and consensus building, and they support individual creativity and innovation.”

7. Leadership is about balance: In the book “Nursing Leadership” it states that, “leadership requires balance within and between the nexus of industrial and professional concerns to manage and drive in order to facilitate practice and better health outcomes for communities and individuals.”

8. Leadership is about continuous learning and improvement: “Continuous learning is essential at all levels of nursing” (Leadership Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, and Aptitudes Nurses Need to Lead Organizations Effectively). I think that as healthcare continues to improve and new things are discovered that it is very important that nurse leaders keep up to date with what they can and continuously learn and improve their skills.

9. Leadership is about effective decision making: “Educating leaders and team members about different decision-making strategies cultivates critical-thinking skills. These tools encourage teams to remain focused as the teams evaluate possible solutions. Tools should be easy to use so that staff members do not spend more time learning the tool than evaluating the solutions” (Leadership Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, and Aptitudes Nurses Need to Lead Organizations Effectively).

10. Leadership is a political process: “Nurse leaders require skills and expertise in political competence and knowledge of the policymaking process” (Deschaine, J. E, & Schaffer, M. A. (2003)Strengthening the Role of Public Health Nurse Leaders in Policy Development, Policy Politics Nursing Practice, 4, 266-274. doi: 10.1177/1527154403258308)

11. Leadership is about modeling: I really liked this whole quote: “A clinical nursing leader is one who is involved in direct patient care and who continuously improves care by influencing others (Cook, 2001). Leadership is not merely a series of skills or tasks; rather, it is an attitude that informs behavior (Cook, 2001). Several important functions of a nurse leader are: acting as a role model, collaboration to provide optimum care, provision of information and support, providing care based on theory and research, and being an advocate for patients and the health care organization (Mahoney, 2001). In addition, nurse leaders should have knowledge of management, communication, and teamwork skills, as well as some background in health economics, finance, and evidence-based outcomes (Mahoney, 2001). Personal qualities desirable in a nurse leader include competence, confidence, courage, collaboration, and creativity. Nurse leaders should be aware of the changing environment and make changes proactively. Leaders who show concern for the needs and objectives of staff members and are cognizant of the conditions affecting the work environment will encourage productivity (Moiden, 2003). In doing this, it is important that a philosophy of productivity is established.” (http://www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/leadership-in-nursing.php)

12. Leadership is about integrity: integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. “In my interventions in troubled workplaces, the healing process depends on individuals of integrity who can model appropriate behaviours and help lead the group out of trouble. Through their actions, they demonstrate to others that integrity is a worthy virtue. They help others to understand that honesty in dealing with each other, knowing the difference between right and wrong, having courage to do what is right, and caring about relationships can improve outcomes for individuals and for the organisation.” (http://www.aim.com.au/publications/bkchapters/seven_ch3.html)