Creating the vision: the role of the chief nurse executive in bringing innovations to client service delivery.

The chief nurse officer brings the value-adding contribution of client partner to the executive management team. The nurse executive contributes professional nursing's client-centered, health-enabling approach to care delivery to assist organizations in developing new client and community services. The single most important leadership-challenge presented to nurse administrators, leaders, and managers is the ability to articulate a vision of client-centered care, demonstrate the costs and benefits of service innovations, and effectively shape organizational cultures to achieve innovations in service delivery.