Strategic Guy

Entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Mark Ein epitomizes the intersection between business, sports and entertainment.

After experiencing success early in his career at the venerable private equity firm the Carlyle Group, Ein has gone on to make a sustained and meaningful contribution to the health and growth of the Washington, DC region.  His current professional pursuits include:

–Co-chairman and principal shareholder of Kastle Systems, a leading provider of commercial office building security systems.

–Vice-chairman of Two Harbors Investment Corporation, a NYSE-listed residential mortgage REIT.

Capitalist, philanthropist and TeamTennis franchise owner

–Chairman of VSGi, a provider of videoconferencing solutions.

–Founder and owner of the Washington Kastles, the area’s World TeamTennis franchise and winner of a league record 21 consecutive matches.

This past Friday, Ein was the featured speaker at the monthly ACG National Capital executive breakfast meeting.  After sharing a video that celebrated the Washington Kastles’ 2011 championship season and contributions to the community, Ein got down to business in a presentation entitled “Building a Winning Organization through Systematic Excellence.”

Here are Ein’s “10 Cs” for organizational success – in business and professional sports.

1.  Culture:  the importance of a set of shared values and an investment by everyone in an organization in positive outcomes.

2.  Consistency:  a strict adherence to details in all activities, operations and interactions with key audiences.

3.  Complimentary:  each person in an organization must have a unique and defined role.

4.  Communication:  every day – with both external and internal audiences.

5.  Cohesiveness:  a critical component for a high performing team.

6.  Continuous Improvement:  learn from mistakes; always improve and enhance processes.

7.  Competitiveness:  in business and sports, organizations must have a drive to win.

8.  Compassion:  an emotional connection to colleagues, customers, partners, etc.

9.  Community:  charitable participation must be core to the culture of the organization.  The Washington Kastles partner with more than 100 charities in the Washington, DC area.

10.  Chance:  yes…there is always a bit of luck involved in success.