Relationships of various aspects of on-the-job performance to personal history, personality, and ward administrative climate were studied in 1,018 nurses from 31 Veterans Administration hospitals. A 152-item intercorrelation matrix evidenced relationships among criterion and predictor varibales. First-level performance ratings had more significant correlations with administrative climate. Second-level performance ratings had a greater number of significant correlations with California Psychological inventory (CPI) Sclaes. High-performing staff nurses generally had higher CPI profiles which reached significance for social presence, sense of well-being, responsibility, tolerance, achievement via conformance, and intellectual efficiency (p = .05). High-performing staff nurses described their head nurses as interrupting themselves to help patients and staff, explaining reasons for criticisms mad of staff, not curbing discussions of their decisions, eating with their staff, complimenting staff, using mistakes as teaching opportunities, trying hard to give patients quality care, and not becoming annoyed with problem patients (p = .05). A cross-validation procedure applied after the group had been divided into two sections identified factors in personal history which were consistently associated with various aspects of successful nursing performance.