The Last 15%

I'm learning that it's that last 15% that separates good from great. That separates good organizations from great ones. That separates good students from exceptional ones.

Running at 85% effectiveness is difficult for several reasons:
1. For some people, 85% is good enough. "We can't get much better than this. Why try harder?" is the response of some.
2. 85% looks really good to those on the outside. They compare your 85% effectiveness to the rate they perceive for their own organization and they think you look great. Outsiders tell you how great you are and your organization can begin to believe the hype. But in your heart, you know better.
3. In some areas of life, particularly sports, 85% is great. Teams that win games at a .850 clip win championships; a free throw shooting percentage of 85% means you're really good.

Here's The Point: For these reasons and more, improving above the 85% line is difficult for an organization. The incentive is not great because improvement is difficult and often taken via painstaking steps. But that does not mean it's not worth the effort. While difficult, slow and sometimes frustrating, moving even from 85% to 86% is a great achievement and well worth the effort.