title: Expertise isn't the only answer to leadership in safety.
abstract: In the words of Covey (2004), we all have the power to decide to live a great life rather than a life of mediocrity. Unfortunately, in patient safety, we in health care have chosen to live a life of mediocrity because we have not made a commitment to error-free versus an error-tolerant industry. Compared to what other industries have accomplished in safety, we must make a commitment to do better. We must stop benchmarking ourselves against the median or average, which is mediocrity at its finest, and accept the challenge that an error-free environment is possible. In the words of Collins (2001), "Good is the enemy of Great" (p. 1). With new eyes that represent diverse cognitive skills, we will overcome our blindness to defects and move from good to great.
authors.affiliation: Nursing and Patient Care Services, Clarian Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Karlene
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerfoot
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration; D003142:Communication; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013597:Systems Analysis