Developing leaders at every level: accountability and empowerment actualized through shared governance.

The shortage of frontline nursing staff and their managers in acute care organizations necessitates strategies to both use and recognize the unique knowledge and skills of these individuals. The authors describe one organization's successful implementation of a shared decision-making structure that promotes an empowering work environment in which professional fulfillment and personal satisfaction can flourish. With support and opportunity, leaders are developed across all levels of nursing.