Previous international studies have shown that the work of nurses is influenced by their leadership (Hughes 2005, Gifford et al. 2007, Hall & Doran 2007, Wong & Cummings 2007, Koehn & Lehman 2008, Tomey 2009, Cummings et al. 2010). However, in Finland there are only a few research studies describing either the working conditions of nurses (Tervo-Heikkinen et al. 2008, Pitka ¨aho et al. 2010) or nurses views on their professional activities (Kuuppelomaki & Tuomi 2003). Although Vesterinen et al. (2009) have explored factors influencing the leadership styles of Finnish nurse managers, their study was not based on the views and perceptions of the nursing staff. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Finnish nursing staff about their leadership and how variables associated with nurses backgrounds are related to their perceptions. The perceptions of nurses were measured in relation to the leadership ethics of nurse managers, the management of the nursing process, feedback and rewards, professional development and the role of the nursing director. In this study we use the term nursing leadership to mean nurse managers and nurse directors, and nursing staff to include registered nurses, public health nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, radiographers, laboratory technologists, paediatric nurses and mental health nurses.