Book Review: Good to Great

— BOOK REVIEW —

“GOOD TO GREAT”

A LESSON AND A WARNING

REVIEW BY SAINT GERTRUDE ALUMNA LESLIE (KOENIG) STACK, CLASS OF 1974

“Good to Great” was a best seller and a must-read book that has been popular for decades. Each chapter, a company’s story at the time of writing, reads as though these companies should last forever — but that did not happen. So, “Good to Great” is both a lesson and a warning.

At the Executive level, companies and great schools need to seriously know who they are and what they deliver. “Good to Great” argues that great companies find the synergy of what they most like to do and what the customers most want. At Benedictine and Saint Gertrude, our leaders speak often about faith formation and character development. These are fundamental reasons for the schools’ existence. We also find that these are strong cultural elements of the schools that our parents greatly desire for their children. The authors call this a “hedgehog concept.” We describe it as strong Catholic education.

Another important “Good to Great” concept is the “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” or B.H.A.G. What is the B.H.A.G. for the Benedictine Schools of Richmond? Our Board of Trustees and the strategic planning committee are discussing and debating that right now. The B.H.A.G is a long-term goal that everyone in a company can understand and rally behind. B.H.A.G.s are meant to excite and energize people. Defining a B.H.A.G.is akin to clearly stating a bold vision for your business. It drives and inspires activity to a stated end. Getting your B.H.A.G. right is really important! The B.H.A.G. for the Benedictine Schools of Richmond will help define our two schools’ visions and push us towards a future of greatness.

“Good to Great” also delves deeply on the characteristics of executive management. It is the executive management of the

schools who bring the product to life – the education, values training, personal growth as well as the overall well-being of each student. Stability, clarity of vision, boldness, and objectivity are the prized attributes of strong leaders featured in “Good to Great.” The Board of Trustees feels fortunate to have excellent alumni leaders who enjoy these qualities for the schools – Amy Pickral ’95, Head of Saint Gertrude; Del Smith ’01, Head of Benedictine; and Drew Mugford ’86, Principal of BSoR. The Board’s sole employee, Jesse Grapes, has provided twelve years of stability at the helm and a bold vision for the campus that both schools now call home.

The last piece of history gleaned from this work is that every business must learn to control and perfect a financial strategy. Private Schools must find ways to provide all the educational outcomes noted above and stay financially stable. Some of the companies in “Good to Great,” long after the writing, could not maintain profitable growth, stable cash flow while creating free cash flow (ex. Circuit City) – the true measure of a strong, survivable company. Private schools can rarely live on tuition alone. Fundraising and endowments are a must – particularly the latter. The cost of tuition, payment of the “best qualified teachers” to viable, excellent physical plants – all demand private funding and philanthropy to keep the B.H.A.G in our sights.

Finally, we must apply the “Good to Great” (and subsequent release “Built to Last”) as the mantra for our schools’ futures. That is our Benedictine charism. We have taken two great schools and produced an enduring and sustainable Benedictine Schools of Richmond with greatness in their future!

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“Good To Great” (Jim Collins) Visual Synopsis by Dani Saveker

LESLIE (KOENIG) STACK ’74 | CEO, LKS ENTERPRISES

Leslie Stack is currently a special event consultant to a select group of corporations, individuals, and non-profit organizations.

After graduation from Saint Gertrude High School, she attended VCU and continued with advanced courses through Virginia Tech. Leslie started her first company in 1987, Complete Catering and Event Planning Services, in the heart of Carytown. The business grew quickly, and she started LKS Enterprises, to include the expansion of real estate and specialized equipment. She sold Complete Catering in 2008, retaining LKS Enterprises.

Leslie has served on the Board of Directors for the Doorways (formerly the Hospital Hospitality House) and the Saint Gertrude Board of Visitors. Additionally, she was the chair of the Capital

Campaign for Saint Gertrude’s Outdoor Athletic Center (OAC). She has also served on the Richmond Committee for the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia’s Capital Campaign.

She is currently on the Executive Committee of the Council of Historic Richmond and co-chair for Historic Garden Day 2022, all while concurrently serving on the Benedictine Schools of Richmond Board of Trustees.

Leslie is married to Frank G. Rizzo. Their combined family includes Charles Rizzo (BHS ’93), Kathryn Stack Consuegra (SGHS ’96), and Leslie Rizzo Ibanez (SGHS ’98). Together, they have six grandchildren: Allison Consuegra (SGHS ’22), Brian Consuegra, Anna Grace Rizzo, Teresa Ibanez, Laura Ibanez, and Eddie Ibanez.

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