Findings support the importance of the NM demonstrating skilled leadership and the ability to manage conflicts and to develop team backup. This study further highlights the importance of conflict management as a leadership competency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nurses transitioning to practice in a variety of ways over the past two years. Analysis from the Versant Database comparing new graduate nurses (NGNs) from 2018-2021 revealed a widened practice gap for NGNs in these specialty areas of practice: critical care, perinatal, and emergency. Additionally, NGNs achieved 100% competency validation sooner in 2020/2021. The analysis also revealed greater diversity of NGNs who participated in a transition to practice (TTP) program in 2020/2021. Based on these findings, this article proposes recommendations for nurse leaders to consider as NGNs transition into the workforce.

Responding to and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic were demanding and all-consuming for executive nurse leaders. Long-term pandemic challenges will continue and therefore it is important for nurse leaders to develop their reflective practice to increase role competency, gain wisdom, and advance the profession. The complex postpandemic world requires nurse leaders to show up differently, stop ineffective practices, continue best practices, and implement new ideas to improve performance and outcomes. This article offers a framework for leadership reflection, through role negotiation technique, to identify lessons from the lived nurse executive experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific focus is placed on communication, teamwork, professional governance, posttraumatic growth, gratitude, diversity/equity/inclusion, and social determinants of health. These concepts, along with specific tactics, will help leaders set priorities, aid nursing leadership practice, identify meaningful goals and desired outcomes, and effectively lead to advance the nursing profession postpandemic.