Background: The performance of nursing staff is a critical factor in quality healthcare services delivery, and a number of variables such as leadership styles, work stress, staffing levels, and empowerment have been considered to contribute to it. Objective: to critically apprise the influence of nurse leadership behaviors, work stress, staffing levels, and empowerment on nursing staff performance. Method: A systematic literature review was performed of studies published from 2021 to 2023. A total of ten articles were reviewed from different healthcare settings, surveys, questionnaires and observational data were used in the studies. Results: The results indicate that nursing staff performance is enhanced by transformational leadership through job satisfaction, trust and organizational commitment. On the other hand, toxic leadership results in employees who disengage and become silent and under-perform. A sufficient nurse staffing and empowerment are essential for enhancing both satisfaction and nurse commitment. There is a negative relationship between work stress, compassion fatigue, burnout and the performance, while person–job fit could be a potential moderator. Conclusion Efficient leadership, sufficient staffing and a supportive working environment are needed to improve the performance of nurses.