Perra stresses that leaders realize learning is a continual process involving personal growth and professional development. This requires learning about other staff's concerns and needs and helping them to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Leaders need to share their power, allowing others to participate in decision-making. Leaders are able to see where nursing has possibilities for change and create the desire for a shared vision of change. They enable others to see how they can contribute to the vision (Perra).
According to Perra, communication establishes trust through the sharing of information, a willingness to listen, and providing feedback and effective conflict management. She feels leaders are change facilitators, willing to proactively seek change, accepting and demonstrating flexibility and adaptability (Perra).
Some theorists were not as focused on listing leadership attributes and character traits, but felt quality leadership developed from nurses trying to create a caring environment for their patients. Several nursing frameworks are recognized in literature as being grounded in caring. These include Leininger, Watson, roach, Boykin and Schoenhofer.
In their book, Nursing as caring: A model for transforming Practice, Boykin and Schoenhofer offer suggestions for nursing leaders that will create the conditions in which nurses can effectively care for patients and families. The first suggestion is a commitment to knowing oneself as a caring person. We can do this by reflecting on our interactions with others and acknowledge not only our faults and failures, but analyze situations in which we have shown caring, compassion, competence, courage, and patience. They suggest we look positively at situations where we have given hope, gained patient's trust, inspired confidence, and have listened to our conscience. Our self-knowledge is essential to sharing oneself with others.
