Exploring the role of authentic leadership in nursing
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Exploring the role of authentic leadership in nursing

Catherine Best Practice educator, Saint Catherine’s Hospice, Scarborough, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To refresh your knowledge of various leadership styles that are commonly used in healthcare

  • To learn about the principles and characteristics of authentic leadership

  • To recognise the benefits and challenges of nurses adopting authentic leadership

Authentic leadership is a relatively new concept in nursing, with limited studies undertaken into its application in healthcare. Authentic leadership emphasises the importance of the leader being true to their personal core values and developing honest relationships with team members, valuing their contributions, and behaving ethically and transparently. Trust is a central tenet of authentic leadership that aims to lead to increased staff engagement, and enhanced individual and team performance. This article explores the principles, benefits and challenges of authentic leadership, as well as examining its potential role in nursing.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11927

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

catherine.best@saintcatherines.org.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Best C (2022) Exploring the role of authentic leadership in nursing. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11927

Published online: 19 April 2022

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