Finding the leader within: thoughts on leadership in nursing

Leadership is an important topic in nursing. We recognize the importance of leaders who represent us well to those outside of the profession, yet many nurses do not view themselves as "leaders." This is unfortunate, because real leadership is less about a title or institutionally granted power, and more about how we "show up" in the many situations that make up our days. The image of the nursing profession is formed in the many day-to-day interactions between nurses and patients, families, the public, physicians, and administrators. Nurses who can find their inner leader and use it in their practice, at whatever level of the organization they contribute, will find that they are able to positively impact patient care and outcomes. This paper describes a framework for finding your inner leader that is based upon 5 "skill-cepts" (skills derived from leadership concepts), which we have found essential to leading.