Features
24	What Does the Next Level Really Mean?
	*Rhonda Anderson, RN, MPA, CNAA, FAAN, CHE*
	An approach to exploring new positions and making decisions about the career journey starts with a simple but brutually honest introspective process.
27	A Change in Career Focus: Responding to the Call of the Soul
	*JoEllen Koerner, RN, PhD, FAAN*
	When your soul stirs, heralding a change ahead, do not fear that you will be estranged, but rather heed the internal whispers and move to the next level.
33	Nursing Impressionism… Connecting the Dots
	*Judith Miller, RN, FAAN*
	To be successful, the nurse executive must step back from the details to see the whole picture, the connections between quality and safety, reputation, volumes, and margin.
37	Taking the Road Less Traveled: Lessons Learned in a Mid-Career Employment Transition
	*Nancy M. Valentine, RN, PhD, MPH, FAAN, FNAP*
	In the spirit of lifelong learning, the author refreshed her repertoire of skills, sharpened her overall knowledge base, and significantly increased important contacts in a manner that only an executive sabbatical can yield.
40	From the Nurse Executive's Perspective: Hiring the Nurse Consultant
	*Karlene M. Kerfoot, PhD, RN, CNAA, FAAN, Carol Ann Cavouras, MS, RN, and Carolyn Hope Smeltzer, EdD, RN, FAAN, FACHE*
	This article serves as a guide for understanding the nurse leader's role in a consulting project, how to select a consultant, how to ensure the consultant hired will achieve the desired results, and how the tools of project management can organize the work.
44	The CNE as Entrepreneur: Innovation Leadership for a New Age
	*Tim Porter-O'Grady, EdD, APRN, CNAA, FAAN*
	Innovative constructs for the structure and delivery of clinical services call for new models of leadership and a much stronger business orientation to the management of programs.
48	The Case Manager Connection: Taking a Leadership Role to Improve Patient Outcomes
	*Kim Schuetze, ACSW, CCM, and Beverly Cunningham, MS, RN*
	The more that case managers assume leadership roles, the closer they will work with nurse leaders toward better communication and greater collaboration to establish outcomes-based practices.
52	Tactics for Nursing Professionals to Overcome Back-to-School Anxiety
	*Augustine Barón, PsyD, ABPP, FAPA, FAACP*
	Reducing concerns and worries is important for academic and personal success, so returning students shouldn't hesitate to seek help, use university resources, and find a network of other adult learners.
Cover
10	LEADER TO WATCH
	*Anthony (Tony) Disser, RN*
	Nancy Rollins Gantz, PhD, RN, MBA, CNA
Columns
4	Editorial
	What Goes Around Comes Around
	Roxane Spitzer, PhD, MBA, FAAN, RN
6	Lessons Learned
	The Power and Intrigue of Workplace Politics
	Katherine Vestal, RN, PhD, FAAN, FACHE
8	The Coaching Forum
	The Challenges of Being New
	Catherine Robinson-Walker, MBA, MCC
American Organization of Nurse Executives
15	Patients Redefine “Quality” for Healthcare Organizations
	Why in the Hospital Boardroom the Chief Nursing Officer should be most Interested—and Concerned—About H-CAHPS®