This study aims at understanding the view about the nursing leadership question, through critical analysis of the literature produced predominantly in Brazil on this theme, from 1930 to 1995, contributing to its "dismythification". From the assumption that nursing is a social practice, and therefore articulated with other health practices, we conducted the investigation under a historical-social approach. Empirical data were obtained from the discourses about the issue or related themes, contained in 14 periodicals, from which 12 were of nursing. Besides them, we used proceedings from nursing events, as well as research and researcher catalogs and 3 theses. We analysed data according to time delimitation, distributed in four historical periods, intending to maintain the similarity of the peculiar discourses of each period, according to the context in these moments. The study demonstrated that the nursing leadership question has been treated, in the profession, in an idealized, mythical and crystalized way, contributing, thus, to the maintenance of the status quo and nursing professional's alienation.
leadership; nursing; myth