How CNOs Can Help High-Risk Nurse Leaders Regain Credibility With Their Teams
By Elizabeth Later, BSN, MHA, RN, CENP, CPPS
It’s really painful to watch a nurse leader start to lose credibility with their teams. There are plenty of reasons why this may happen:
Misalignment with the organization’s culture,
Inheritance of a team that hasn’t had solid leadership,
Lack of skills or experience to manage the complexities of a healthcare team,
Compassion fatigue,
Time management problems,
Inability to say no
Personal crisis
So how do you support a struggling nurse leader without micromanaging? How do you preserve team morale while guiding someone who has lost credibility with their staff? And most importantly, how do you move from temporary “fixes” to long-term, sustainable leadership?
The answer shouldn’t be punitive and it isn’t a performance improvement plan with all the leader’s failures outlined to “fix”. While each individual case is different, a great place to start is with a strengths-based framework that builds sustainable leadership from the inside out. That’s where Appreciative Inquiry, Trust-Building, and Strengths-Based Leadership offer a fresh and compassionate approach.
Appreciative Inquiry: Help Them Rediscover What’s Working
Appreciative Inquiry isn’t about ignoring performance problems—it’s about approaching them from a different starting point. Instead of beginning with gaps or deficits, it starts with questions that allow for the leader to self-reflect and take ownership of what they need to do to improve.
As a CNO, you can guide your leader through questions like:
When have you felt most effective as a leader?
What feedback have you received that affirmed your strengths?
What’s one example where your team responded well to your direction or presence?
These questions start from a place of positivity. The leader can’t possibly be doing everything wrong, and these types of questions shift the energy from shame to curiosity about what strengths the leader has that they can build on. They remind your leader that they’re not starting from zero—they already have assets to build on.
When you help a struggling leader see their value, they’re more likely to engage in meaningful growth, rather than retreat into self-protection.
Trust is Rebuilt Through Presence and Patterns
If your nurse leader has lost the trust of their team, regaining it won’t come from titles or authority. It comes from visible consistency.
Your support here is critical. Help your leader identify actions that demonstrate reliability, such as:
Acknowledging, “I know we’ve had a rocky time, and I want to earn back your trust”.
Following through on small commitments.
Being visible and transparent about decisions.
Ensuring fairness and consistency.
Valuing diverse voices and viewpoints.
Encouraging contribution.
The ultimate goal is for the members of the team to say, “I am safe, I am included, and I am treated fairly.”
From your role as CNO, it’s important to recognize that high-risk leaders are usually overwhelmed and may have retreated to a place where they feel safe. Helping them re-find their confidence takes time, but if it saves you from turning over a leader, it’s time well spent.
Strengths-Based Leadership: Stop Overcorrecting Weakness
Many underperforming nurse leaders spend their days trying to compensate for what they’re “not good at.” Over time, this erodes confidence and feeds fear-based decision-making.
You can interrupt that cycle by helping your leader identify their core strengths. You need more of what they are when they’re at their best - not more of what they aren’t. When they lead from strength rather than scarcity, they start to show up with more authenticity and stability. I have found great success with Strengths Finder as an actionable tool to begin the discussion about personal strengths and how they can show up in every day work.
Some Resources For You:
Supporting an at-risk leader is a long game, and it helps to have tools.
I’ve developed a Reflective Practice Journal as a tool you can use with your leader to start having meaningful strengths-based discussions. It includes 28 days of reflective prompts and 15 Quick Reflections for the days when there isn’t enough time to do a full reflection.
If you’d like to try a sample, here’s an abbreviated free version that you can trial. Download your free copy here
And finally, if you feel like you’ve done all you can, let’s have a discussion before you get to the point of thinking the only option is to let them go. I can help.