Abstract
Resilience is not only necessary for professional job satisfaction in nursing, it is vital for personal good health and well-being. This chapter outlines some of the challenges of stepping up to leadership in the very challenging environment of contemporary healthcare. Leadership is required at all levels from the nurse–patient relationship to leading teams under pressure. Authentic leaders act in ways that are congruent with their values, beliefs and convictions. In common with other authentic leaders, Mandela also displayed characteristics such as empathy, integrity, and warmth that made him relatable and trustworthy. Such characteristics make such leaders easy to follow. A key quality that might facilitate resilience in leadership is that of authenticity, the ability to stay true to the values that are held. Ultimately, effective leaders must promote the well-being and development needs of their followers so that they too can be resilient and rise to the challenge of leadership.