A descriptive study of nurse managers and leadership

This descriptive study was designed to examine the leadership activities of nurse managers. Through the use of an open-ended questionnaire, 42 nurse managers were asked to describe how they operationalized seven leadership concepts identified through a literature search: goals, change, influence, power, growth, mentoring, and vision. Findings indicate that the leadership activities described by the nurse managers were congruent with the descriptions in the leadership literature. Given the complex nature of the role of the nurse manager, leadership skills are essential for survival.