Transforming nursing: A series on nursing leadership – Authentic leadership

Nursing is a challenging profession that requires good leadership to achieve positive results for patients and nurses alike. The series "Transforming Nursing: A Series on Nursing Leadership" aims to briefly introduce several leadership styles often referenced and cited in the nursing and healthcare literature.
  
Leadership in nursing is not just about titles; it is a quality that anyone can have, regardless of their role. Important traits for leaders include empathy, compassion, integrity, and communication. Good leadership is crucial, as past healthcare scandals, such as the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal (The Francis Report, 2013), have shown the harmful effects of poor leadership. Good nursing leaders create shared goals, motivate their teams, and build trust and inspiration. 
  
This series discusses different leadership styles in nursing, including authentic, authoritarian (autocratic), compassionate, collective, transformational and transactional leadership. The series highlights the need to be flexible and adaptable to meet the various challenges in healthcare settings, and how different approaches can impact nursing practice by exploring leadership styles and real-life examples. By learning and using effective leadership strategies, nurses can grow professionally, improve patient care, and help build a stronger healthcare system. To get an understanding of what leadership is and is not, refer to our