title: Good is not good enough: the culture of low expectations and the leader's challenge.
abstract: When people believe that what they do is "good enough," excellence will never occur. As the demand for better health care escalates every year, achieving a ranking of very good doesn't count because it leaves many disenfranchised staff, errors, and dissatisfied patients. A leader can not be successful unless the culture of low expectations is eliminated. If there isn't a sense of caring, serving, and being an exemplar of the change, the leader won't succeed in moving the culture. When there is a sense of ownership and commitment to the mission and to patients, the culture of low expectations cannot exist.
authors.affiliation: Aurora Health System, Milwaukee, WI, USA. karlene.kerfoot@aurora.org
authors.forename: Karlene M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kerfoot