Abstract
Empowering self and others promises to be a way to heal broken trust and fractured relationships with nurses. A relational theory of power development proposes ways to create empowering rather than overpowering relationships between and among nurses. This theory is based in the reflective work done through qualitative phenomenological inquiry, among other reflective work. Recognizing that all we do in health care is situated in a context, nurse administrators are encouraged to examine their assumptions (grounded in context) about health, people and work as a base for creating different scenarios to address different work situations.