12 Characteristics of Leaders

1. Leadership requires personal mastery - Nurses demonstrate leadership when they show competence and mastery at the tasks they perform. Nurses are deemed competent by means of a license to practice nursing (NLN 2010).
2. Leadership is about values - Nurses demonstrate values through when they are caring for patients. A "good" nurse demonstrates the core values of caring, integrity, and excellence in their care (NLN 2010).
3. Leadership is about service - Nurses are always serving. The definition of nurses according to the webster dictionary states that a nurse is one who cares for or advises another human. The very basis of nursing is serving the patient.
4. Leadership is about people and relationships - The nurse cares for the patient on an individual level. Their needs to be a relationship built on trust in order for the nurse to provide the best care possible.
5. Leadership is contextual - Nurses are dependent on research, colleagues, patients, etc... to excel as leaders and care for the patient.
6. Leadership is about the management of meaning - Nurses spend a significant amount of time with the patient. The nurse needs to be able to continually assess the patient and manage symptom and every assessment that is happening.
7. Leadership is about balance - At the beginning of every shift, the nurse has sometimes an overwhelmingly long list of things that need to be done. The nurse needs to be able to prioritize and balance that list and effectively deliver quality care. The nurse also needs to be able to balance work and personal life. Without balance, the nurse will burn out easily.
8. Leadership is about continuous learning and improvement - Healthcare is a constantly changing field. New research and technology are constantly being developed. To be a good leader and nurse, nurses need to be lifelong learners. They need to be well read and constantly learning about the healthcare industry.
9. Leadership is about effective decision making - Nurses are constantly making decisions. Assessments, treatments, and all around care for the patient require decisions to made constantly. The nurse needs to be able to make those decisions effectively.
10. Leadership is a political process - There are enough nurses in America that if joined together could potentially sway an election. Nurses know firsthand the challenges that healthcare faces. Nurses need to speak up and become involved in the political arena to promote change.
11. Leadership is about modeling - One interpretation of modeling is that to model means to teach. Nurses are always teaching patients. Another interpretation of modeling is to imitate or reflect an example. Nurses need to used evidence based nursing practice which essentially is modeling.
12. Leadership is about integrity - Nurses face many ethical dilemmas in day to day nursing. Nurses need to have integrity in order to face those ethical dilemmas and react appropriately.