Background: Authentic leadership in nurse managers has been identified as a strong predictor of multiple nurse outcomes. However, its association with staff performance and nurses' intention to leave has yet to be established.

Purpose: This study was designed to identify the predictive effect of sociodemographic variables on nurse performance and intention to leave and to examine the relationship between authentic leadership in nurse managers and, respectively, nurse performance and intention to leave.

Methods: A comparative and correlational design and a cross-sectional survey approach were used. A convenience sample of 166 registered nurses working in a government hospital in Jordan was recruited. Data collection was performed online using the socio demographics questionnaire, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, the Turnover Intention Scale, and the Six Dimensions of Nurse's Performance Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and multiple hierarchical linear regression.

Results: The overall mean score was 2.08 (SD = 0.87) for the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, 3.57 (SD = 1.76) for the Turnover Intention Scale, and 3.00 (SD = 0.51) for the Staff Performance Scale. Mean nursing performance differed significantly based on marital status, whereas intention to leave differed significantly based on marital status and the respondent's perception of their first-line manager. A statistically significant, positive correlation between authentic leadership and staff performance and statistically significant, negative correlation between authentic leadership and intention to leave were found. In addition, authentic leadership was uniquely associated with staff performance (B = 0.19, p < .05) and intention to leave (B = −0.39, p < .05) in the hierarchical regression analysis after controlling for sociodemographic variables.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Authentic leadership from nurse managers is associated with improved nurse performance and lower nurse intention to leave. Nurse managers may enhance authentic leadership attributes to better retain nurses in hospitals and improve nurse job performance.