Self-awareness in nurse leadership and its relationship with emotional intelligence and reflective practice

Self-awareness is widely recognised as a core component of effective nurse leadership, influencing decision-making, communication and patient care. It also underpins emotional intelligence, an essential leadership skill that enables individuals to perceive, understand and manage their own emotions, and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. Self-awareness can be developed through reflection, enabling nurses to recognise how their values, emotions and behaviours affect others, particularly in complex and emotionally demanding healthcare environments. However, self-awareness and reflective practice are understood and demonstrated differently across individual and cultural contexts, meaning there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to its development. This article examines self-awareness in the context of nurse leadership, exploring its relationship with emotional intelligence and reflective practice, and considers some ways in which nurses and nursing students can further develop self-awareness. The author also discusses how cultural humility is one way in which self-awareness can be translated into nursing practice.