"Closet skeletons" that accompany all deanships

Many new nursing leaders assuming deanships or assistant or interim deanships have limited education, experience, or background to prepare them for the job. To assist new deans and those aspiring to be deans, the authors of this department, 2 deans, offer survival tips based on their personal experiences and insights. They address the common issues, challenges, and opportunities that academic executive teams face, such as negotiating an executive contract, obtaining faculty lines, building effective work teams, managing difficult employees, and creating nimble organizational structure to respond to changing consumer, healthcare delivery, and community needs. The authors welcome counterpoint discussions with readers.