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Introduction. Chilean legislation attributes to Nursing Care Management, it implies autonomy, requiring nurses capable of practicing “effective leadership” contributing to the optimal health of the population. However, the perception that nursing at the national level has lost spaces of opinion and decision-making has been installed, which makes it relevant to inquire from the protagonists regarding the exercise of leadership in their practices. Material and method. Qualitative, descriptive research, case study type, uses content analysis Results and discussion. In the perception of nursing leadership, characteristics of transformational leadership predominate. They recognize a direct relationship between leadership exercise and the quality of care provided to people. Personal skills, professional training and career path were identified as leadership facilitators. Obstaculizers emerge communicative difficulties, relations of subordination associated with the female gender and non-medical profession, structural deficit of health centers and generational differences. Conclusion. They reveal gaps that nurses live in the leadership exercise, together with supporters. This will allow to nurture pre and post-graduate nursing curricula, in order to promote the development of competencies at the current challenges, contributing to the strengthening of the sociopolitical role of nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]