Enhancing professional practice and nurse leadership by cultivating self-awareness.

Why you should read this article: • To recognise the importance of self-awareness in nursing practice • To understand the role of self-awareness in fostering confidence, resilience, effective leadership and team collaboration • To consider self-awareness strategies that you could use to enhance your personal and professional development • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers) • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers). Self-awareness is a foundational quality of professional nursing practice, shaping how nurses understand themselves and relate to others. This article explores the concept of self-awareness and its role in supporting emotional resilience, building confidence and fostering effective leadership and team collaboration. It also examines how self-awareness underpins professional accountability and aligns with regulatory expectations. The author provides some practical strategies for developing self-awareness that aim to support nurses to strengthen their personal insight, enhance their collaborative practice and foster their personal and professional growth. The article is aimed at nurses at all levels, in clinical or non-clinical roles, who wish to enhance their leadership potential through deeper self-understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]