Features
26	Hospital-Acquired Conditions: A Leadership Challenge for Nursing Quality Management and Performance Improvement
	Mary K. Barlett, RN, MSN, CMSRN, and Karen Kelly, EdD, RN, NEA-BC
	There are tremendous opportunities and challenges for nurse leaders as they consider the quality of healthcare to prevent nosocomial problems.
30	Promoting a Culture of Professionalism: The Birth of the Nursing Portfolio
	Andrea Holecek, MSN, MBA, APN, AOCNS, and Marianne Foard, MS, BSN, RN
	The portfolio program gives RNs an opportunity to highlight professional achievements and contributions to the organization and community that are above and beyond the basic job.
36	Engaging the Nursing Workforce: A Hospital's Approach to Linking Best Practices with Positive Outcomes
	Susan Forni, MBA, RN, NE-BC, Leanna Tijerina, MSN/MHA, RN, Becky Hunter, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and Deborah Davenport, PhD, RN
	The process detailed here includes isolating the problems, building initiatives at the unit and executive level, and holding the process together through individual manager accountability.
40	Leadership Succession Planning: A Key Issue for the Nursing Profession
	Antoinette McCallin, PhD, Anita Bamford-Wade, DNurs, and Carol Frankson, MHSc
	This succession-planning article draws attention to various issues such as replacement identification, succession development, organizational retention strategies, and implications for the profession.
46	Optimizing Nurse Manager Span of Control
	Nancy New, MS, MBA, RN, CENP
	Nurse manager role designs that consider and adapt for the factors discussed in this article can maximize the benefits to the organization and provide a level of leadership that supports nursing practice and optimizes patient care.
50	Secret Shoppers in Healthcare
	Joanne G. Samuels, PhD, RN
	Borrowing an idea from business to gather important quality information available only to end users, a nursing professor assumes the role of a secret shopper to analyze care at a hospital.
52	One Public Hospital's Journey to Nursing Excellence: Professional Practice as the Foundation
	Joan Petersen Smith, RN, BSN, MPA, NEA-BC, and Sue Kehl, RN, BSN, MSNc, CCRN
	It takes years to build a culture of excellence, and we have a good foundation of professional nursing practice based on professional role competence.
12	Leader To Watch
	Sandra L. Haldane, BSN, RN, MS
	Sandra Littlejohn, RN, BSN
Columns
4	Editorial
	Leadership Is About Advocacy
	Roxane Spitzer, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN
6	Letter to Editor
8	Lessons Learned
	Decision Making: The Need for Clarity from Leaders
	Katherine Vestal, RN, PhD, FAAN, FACHE
10	The Coaching Forum
	The Dream Beneath the Dream
	Catherine Robinson-Walker, MBA, MCC
AONE The American Organization of Nurse Executives
19	AONE Launches New Executive Coaching Resource for Members
21	The DAISY Award Program Impacts Positive Work Environment