On a journey to the future, an initial strategy of engagement and design is essential but inevitably inadequate. Instead, as bumps in the road emerge, the ability of leadership to regroup and refocus is the key. This is the story of one such journey-a journey pursuing the triple aim of excellence in patient care, patient and staff satisfaction, and economic sustainability. It is one chapter in the transformation of an 1800-employee patient care services organization. It is not the first chapter nor will it be the last.

Patient transfers from one care giver to another are an area of high safety consequence, as is evident by many studies and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's Patient Safety Goals. The authors describe how one hospital made measurable improvements in a patient handoff process by using an unconventional approach to change called appreciative inquiry. Rather than identifying the root causes of ineffective handoffs, appreciative inquiry was used to engage staff in identifying and building on their most effective handoff experiences.

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