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Leadership Interview
Student Name
University Name
NUR447: Leadership
Instructor Name
Date
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Leadership Interview
Introduction
On March 18, 2026, an interview was conducted in the nurse manager’s office at
Riverside Community Hospital. The interview lasted approximately 35 minutes. The interviewee
was Angela Morris, MSN, RN, who serves as the Nurse Manager of the Medical-Surgical Unit.
In this role, she oversees staffing, scheduling, quality improvement, patient flow, and staff
development. No one else was present in the room during the interview.
Interview Questions and Responses
1. What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organization or
department?
The most important decisions I make involve staffing, patient safety, delegation, and how
to respond to changes on the unit. I also make decisions related to conflict resolution, staff
support, and maintaining quality care during high-demand shifts.
2. How do you encourage creative thinking within your organization or department?
I encourage staff to share ideas during huddles, meetings, and one-on-one conversations.
I try to create an environment where people feel safe speaking up and proposing changes.
3. Where do the best ideas come from in your organization or department?
The best ideas usually come from bedside nurses because they are closest to patient care
and workflow challenges.
4. Which is most important to your organization—mission, core values, or vision?
All three matter, but core values are the most important because they guide day-to-day
behavior and decision-making.
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5. How do you help a new employee understand the culture of your organization or
department?
I pair new employees with a strong preceptor, explain expectations clearly, and model the
teamwork, accountability, and communication standards we expect on the unit.
6. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Integrity. Staff have to trust a leader’s honesty, fairness, and consistency.
7. What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?
Balancing staff well-being with patient care demands. Burnout, staffing shortages, and
frequent change make that difficult.
8. What is one mistake you witness leaders making more frequently than others?
Poor communication. When leaders fail to explain decisions clearly, staff can feel
confused or excluded.
9. What is the one behavior or trait that you have seen derail more leaders’ careers?
Ego. Leaders who stop listening or become defensive often lose the trust of their teams.
10. What are a few resources you would recommend to someone looking to gain insight into
becoming a better leader?
Leadership books, nursing journals, mentorship, leadership workshops, and honest
feedback from peers and staff are all valuable resources.
11. What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Listen before trying to change everything. Build relationships first and learn the team
before making major decisions.
12. What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?
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I attend leadership trainings, read current research, ask for feedback, and reflect regularly
on difficult situations so I can keep improving.
Reflection Summary
I felt somewhat nervous during the interview process. At first, I was aware that I was
speaking with someone in a leadership role, but as the interview continued I became more
comfortable and focused on the conversation. The experience helped me better understand that
nursing leadership involves much more than supervising staff. It also includes ethical decision-
making, communication, team support, and accountability.
The most important thing I learned from the interview was that leadership depends
heavily on integrity and consistency. Salmela and Hemberg (2026) explain that integrity
connects ethics and efficiency in nursing leadership, allowing leaders to balance values,
relationships, and organizational demands while still promoting high-quality care. That idea
matched what I learned in the interview because effective leadership was described not just as
making decisions, but as making fair and principled decisions that support both staff and
patients.
I was somewhat surprised by how much emphasis the interviewee placed on humility and
self-reflection. Before this interview, I thought leadership was mostly about authority and
responsibility. After listening to the interviewee, I realized that leadership also requires
reflection, humility, and the ability to build trust. Xue et al. (2025) found that clinical leadership
is positively associated with work engagement and quality of care, which shows that leadership
has a direct effect on both staff performance and patient outcomes. This helped me see leadership
as something that shapes the entire care environment.
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The interview process did change my view of leaders. I now see leaders as people who
must constantly balance patient needs, staff needs, ethical concerns, and organizational
expectations. I also learned that leadership can be demonstrated at all levels of nursing practice,
not only in formal management roles. Xue et al. (2025) note that frontline nurses’ leadership
behaviors are linked with stronger work engagement and improved care quality, which suggests
that leadership begins with daily actions and professional responsibility.
I will apply what I learned in my current nursing practice by being more intentional about
communication, teamwork, and accountability. I also want to strengthen my ability to speak up,
collaborate, and act with integrity in patient care situations. Salmela and Hemberg (2026)
emphasize that integrity supports ethical and effective nursing leadership, and I believe that is an
important lesson I can carry into my own practice.
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References
Salmela, S., & Hemberg, J. (2026). Integrity links ethics and efficiency in nursing leadership:
Nurse leaders’ views. Nursing Ethics, 33(1), 40–52.
[Link]
Xue, X., Tao, J., Li, Y., Zhang, G., Wang, S., Xu, C., & Moreira, P. (2025). Impact of clinical
leadership on frontline nurses’ quality of care: Work engagement as mediator role. BMC
Health Services Research, 25, 560. [Link]