The university of tulsa Online Blog

For many, nursing is more than a job — it’s a calling. Nurses often treat patients during difficult times, and the leadership environment they work in can improve their experiences. To provide quality care, nurses rely on supportive and knowledgeable leaders dedicated to creating a workplace culture that supports clinical excellence and provides staff with the resources they need to succeed.

Leadership skills for nurses can be developed through training and experience. By pursuing an advanced degree, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), nurses can hone the skills they need to pursue leadership roles across diverse care settings.

Core Nursing Leadership Skills

In addition to their clinical expertise, nurse leaders need to possess a comprehensive set of soft skills and competencies to effectively carry out their duties, from guiding their staff to advocating for patients.

Below are some of the core leadership skills for nurses that can help them in senior clinical, research, or administrative roles.

Communication

Communication is arguably one of the most important leadership skills for nurses, both for supervisors and for clinical practitioners. Without effective communication, nurse leaders would have a difficult time identifying what is and is not working within their department, among staff, and in each patient’s care plan.

By cultivating key communication and interpersonal skills such as active listening and empathy, nurse leaders can establish meaningful and productive relationships with both their staff and their patients. Taking the time to listen, understand, and respond thoughtfully helps nurse leaders create a more inclusive and collaborative workplace.

Collaboration and Teamwork

To function effectively, hospitals and other health care facilities require many skilled professionals to work together. By fostering a workplace that encourages collaboration and teamwork, nurse leaders can capitalize on the individual strengths of each team member to provide the most efficient and highest-quality care for their patients.

Critical Thinking and Ethical Decision-Making

Health care decisions are often complicated, multifaceted, and time sensitive. Nurse leaders apply critical thinking and ethical decision-making to weigh options and consider various contributing factors when making decisions, whether related to staffing or the next steps in a patient’s care.

By taking the time to contemplate their options objectively, nurse leaders have a better chance of making decisions that lead to positive outcomes. Regarding patient care, these skills allow nurse leaders to thoroughly review the facts of a case, consider the patient’s wishes, and recommend care strategies that respect all parties.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a widely recognized and essential leadership skill in nursing, and it can be instrumental in helping nurses make objective decisions in challenging situations.

Emotional intelligence — the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions and reactions as well as the emotions of others — allows nurse leaders to empathize with their patients and staff and separate themselves emotionally, so they can make ethical decisions based on the facts of the case.

Advocacy

Nurse advocates act for change in their workplace and also for their patients. This can include standard protocols and timelines, financial constraints, insurance, and patient preferences.

Some nurse leaders act as representatives for their nursing staff and lobby for improvements in workplace conditions or the allocation of resources. When caring for patients, advocacy can take the form of acting as a representative for their patients and communicating patients’ wishes to family members or other medical professionals.

Accountability

Being able to take responsibility for one’s successes, mistakes, shortcomings, and strengths is one of the hallmarks of strong leadership.

Nurse leaders who are accountable for their actions gain the respect and trust of their team members and patients. By demonstrating that they are willing to learn, adapt, and take ownership of their decisions, accountable leaders are better able to collaborate with colleagues and prioritize positive care outcomes for their patients.

Leadership Frameworks in Nursing

Leadership frameworks in nursing provide structure, clarity, and direction for how nurses guide teams, support patients, and influence health care systems. Effective leaders draw from multiple models — transformational, servant, authentic, shared governance, and clinical leadership — to cultivate resilient teams and deliver high-quality patient care.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational nurse leaders encourage innovation, empower team members, and focus on professional development. This model has been linked to higher job satisfaction, lower burnout, and improved patient safety because nurses feel valued and supported in delivering high-quality care.

Servant Leadership

Servant leaders actively listen, collaborate, and advocate for the resources that help nurses deliver optimal care. This model resonates strongly in health care because it aligns with the profession’s core commitment to compassion and patient-centered practice.

Authentic Leadership

Authentic nurse leaders build credibility by communicating openly, acknowledging challenges, and making decisions grounded in values. Research shows that authentic leadership can increase engagement and commitment among nursing staff.

Shared Governance

Nurses who use the shared governance framework promote autonomy, boost morale, and strengthen the connection between bedside nurses and leadership. It also fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Clinical Leadership

Clinical nurse leaders influence outcomes by guiding interdisciplinary teams, ensuring evidence-based practice, and supporting quality improvement initiatives.

The Impact of Nursing Leadership

Nurse leaders influence patient safety, staff well-being, communication, and overall unit stability. Strong leadership provides structure, supports evidence-based practice, and helps teams maintain continuity across shifts and clinical environments.

Leadership also plays a central role in nurse retention. Today’s health care organizations face ongoing staffing shortages, rising burnout, and increasing workloads. A 2025 Work Institute report found that poor management remains a leading driver of turnover across sectors, underscoring how critical leadership quality is for retaining staff — including nurses. Strong leadership can lead to the following benefits:

• Lower burnout rates and higher staff engagement.

• Nurses feeling valued, mentored, and heard.

• Manageable workloads and safe staffing ratios.

• Improved emotional well-being and lower intent-to-leave rates.

Ultimately, leadership in nursing influences patient outcomes, organizational costs, and the long-term sustainability of the workforce. Nurse leaders who can prioritize competing needs, delegate wisely, and ensure staff support become the foundation of resilient, high-performing health care teams.

Become an Effective Leader in Nursing

Nursing care can have a lasting impact on the health and wellness of patients, and nurses perform at their best when they receive the proper guidance and support from leadership. Aspiring nurse leaders can develop the skills to foster a supportive and collaborative atmosphere for their colleagues and contribute to optimal patient outcomes by pursuing an advanced education, such as the online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from The University of Tulsa.

Coursework in the MSN program is taught by experienced faculty and emphasizes a growth mindset, ensuring that graduates have the practical knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The program is designed with the working nurse in mind, with an eight-week format and multiple starts each year, providing busy nurses with the flexibility to earn their degree at their own pace.

Discover how you can make a positive impact in nursing.

Recommended Readings

What Is Soft Nursing? Careers for MSN Graduates

What Is Transformational Leadership in Nursing?

Understanding the MSN Requirements: Admission, Courses, and More

Sources:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Leadership

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Nursing Workforce Fact Sheet

American Nurses Association, Leadership in Nursing: Qualities & Why It Matters

GoodHire, “Bad Managers: The #1 Reason American Workers Quit Their Jobs, Survey Reveals”

Indeed, 10 Nursing Leadership Qualities and Behaviors

Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses, The Importance of Leadership in Nursing

Work Institute, “2025 Retention Report: Employee Retention Truths in Today’s Workplace”