Abstract
Building partnerships is a valuable strategy for achieving success in forming a strong foundation for nursing in the 21st century. The demands of the changing health care environment require that managers and staff change the context in which patient care delivery is accomplished. Managers must be willing to unleash the power of the human capital of staff nurses. Staff nurses must be willing to take a seat at the table and share the leadership role with their manager. Both must engage in building an environment that facilitates continued learning, establishes effective relationships with other health care team members and patients, creates an environment that attracts and retains professional nursing staff, expects professional development from one another, and realizes that collective accountability can be achieved through sharing the leadership.