To me, personal leadership encompasses these 5 qualities:

Selfconfidence. Do you do what you know you need to do? Are you happy with the real you deep down?
Do you even remember the real you?

Courage. Do you play it ultra safe or are you willing to take thought out risks?

Growth. Are you willing to deal with the unknown aspect of change, rather than stay stuck? Are you
continually moving forward and growing?

Communication. When leading others, are you able to make your requests and/or thoughts known, and be
clear and concise?

Appreciation. As you appreciate others, do you appreciate yourself?

- See more at: http://www.nursetogether.com/5-leadership-qualities-every-nurse-shouldhave#sthash.5YdefTAy.dpuf

Leaders do more than delegate, dictate, and direct. Leaders help others achieve
their highest potential. At ANA, we empower nurses to be professional, competent
leaders in healthcare. Through a variety of educational and advocacy activities, our
work increases the leadership capacity of nurses to advance health and lead
change.
http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/Leadership

Keywords:

characteristics;

frontline nurses;

nursing leadership;

organisational development;

qualitative descriptive;

staff nurses

Aim
This paper reports on a study that looked at the characteristics of exemplary nurse leaders in times of change from the
perspective of frontline nurses.

Background
Large-scale changes in the health care system and their associated challenges have highlighted the need for strong leadership at
the front line.

Methods
In-depth personal interviews with open-ended questions were the primary means of data collection. The study identified and
explored six frontline nurses' perceptions of the qualities of nursing leaders through qualitative content analysis. This study was
validated by results from the current literature.

Results
The frontline nurses described several common characteristics of exemplary nurse leaders, including: a passion for nursing; a
sense of optimism; the ability to form personal connections with their staff; excellent role modelling and mentorship; and the
ability to manage crisis while guided by a set of moral principles. All of these characteristics pervade the current literature
regarding frontline nurses' perspectives on nurse leaders.

Conclusion
This study identified characteristics of nurse leaders that allowed them to effectively assist and support frontline nurses in the
clinical setting.

Implications for nursing management

The findings are of significance to leaders in the health care system and in the nursing profession who are in a position to foster
development of leaders to mentor and encourage frontline nurses.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jonm.12092/abstract