Exploring leadership skills development in nursing: a qualitative investigation into the excellence in care program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

EiC provided nurses with shared language, tools, and confidence for point-of-care leadership. Durability of these behaviours depended on coaching, micro-time protection, strategies for navigating hierarchy, and organisational visibility. Embedding standardised artefacts, proximal coaching, balanced dashboards, and peer learning can help convert personal initiative into shared clinic routines.