Some sports fans dream about running a team. For Stan Kasten, the dream became a reality — many times over.
Kasten, 72, was the first sports executive to hold the title of president of three different teams in three different major sports simultaneously. In 1999, he ran the Atlanta Braves (baseball), Atlanta Hawks (basketball) and Atlanta Thrashers (hockey).
He's currently president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's also a part-owner after joining the group that submitted the winning bid to buy the Dodgers in 2012.
Build A Winning Team Like Stan Kasten
Building a consistently top-performing team is tough in any field. It's especially difficult in professional sports. But Kasten has a strong track record of winning.
Over the last 11 seasons, the Dodgers have won the National League West division title 10 times. They've also won three of the past four National League pennants and were World Series champs in 2020.
As president of the Braves (1987-2003), his team won more games than any other team in Major League Baseball along with 14 consecutive division titles (1991-2005), five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series.
Shifting to basketball, his 25 years in the Hawks' front office included four consecutive 50-win seasons and seven consecutive playoff appearances in the 1990s.
What's his secret?
Stay Open To Improvement
Openness to change and a commitment to continuous improvement works for Kasten.
"It's always being on the lookout for what's new and being aware of opportunities," Kasten said. "Our business is always changing. It's vibrant. So it helps to be curious and to open your mind to new possibilities."
He acknowledges that embracing change and testing out new ideas comes with risk. But the alternative is playing it too safe, which rarely breeds champions.
"If you're afraid of going too far, you'll never go far enough," he said. "You can't be timid and not make a change because you're afraid to fail."
Build A Career On Relationships Like Kasten
Early in his career, Kasten got a front-row seat to watch a master risk-taker at work: Ted Turner.
Just weeks after graduating from law school in 1976, Kasten was attending a baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis — the Cardinals were hosting the Atlanta Braves — when he spotted Turner leaving the ballpark after the game.
"I went up to talk to him," Kasten recalled. "I had nothing to lose." At the time, Turner wasn't yet a media titan. It was his first season as owner of the Braves.
"No one knew Ted Turner yet," Kasten said. "He was just starting out." After a brief chat, Turner invited Kasten to follow up with a letter. It worked: Turner hired him as in-house legal counsel.
While Kasten's fateful run-in with Turner propelled his career, he credits a mix of factors for landing the job. For starters, he knew he wanted to work in professional sports and studied antitrust law "which was germane to that business," he said.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, he figures that might have worked in his favor too. Turner attended Brown University, another Ivy League school. "I had to prepare myself to succeed when the opportunity arose," he said.
Kasten didn't have much time for orientation. On his first day on the job, he met with an outside law firm to discuss Turner's purchase of the Atlanta Hawks. The deal closed in early 1977. "It was an unbelievably entrepreneurial, risk-taking environment," he said.
Learn A Lasting Leadership Lesson
By 1979, Turner promoted a 27-year-old Kasten to become general manager of the Atlanta Hawks. He excelled in the role, eventually winning back-to-back NBA Executive of the Year awards.
Kasten was riding high. And Turner wanted him to ride higher. "Ted wanted me to run the Braves too," Kasten said. "I told him, 'It's such a bad idea' " to oversee two teams at once.
After Turner persuaded him to accept, Kasten shared his multiyear strategy to overhaul the struggling team.
"I sat Ted down and said, 'Here's how we'll get the Braves to be successful,' " Kasten recalled. "He listened for a few minutes and said, 'Stan, I don't need a lecture. Just go do it.' "
Kasten draws a leadership lesson from that moment. To this day, he strives to follow Turner's lead by hiring good people, letting them do their job and giving them the time and space to execute.
He warned Turner it would take "three to four years" for the Braves to start winning. And that's what happened, even though Kasten says he had to serve as the "village idiot" during those first few years of the rebuilding process.
Follow Three Clues To Hire Stars
To hire outstanding employees, Kasten looks for three qualities. First, he ensures that their vision aligns with his vision. Second, he seeks self-starters who take responsibility for their actions.
"And they need to understand their place in the organizational mission and be energized by that mission," he added.
He applies the same criteria to professional athletes. While top-tier players have exceptional talent, a strong work ethic and a passion to win, a rare few soar even higher.
"Players coming out of school can score 100 in athletic ability," Kasten said. "But the ones who succeed love to play so much that nothing stops them."
For example, he recalls how basketball legend Dominique Wilkins would practice "in hot gyms in summer with no crowds." The will to win — and keep refining his game — drove him to stardom.
Keep Egos In Check
In professional sports, egos can run amok. Kasten takes it in stride.
"(Dodger manager) Tommy Lasorda had a philosophy: You treat people differently in a way that reaches them and helps them achieve team goals," Kasten said. "I think it's cool that there are differences in people, and I accept the differences."
Like any business, running a sports team depends on relationships. You earn trust by leveling with people and treating them with respect.
After the final game of a losing season, Kasten has a tradition. He goes around the room and shakes hands with everyone — players and team personnel — thanking them for their effort.
"I say something personal to each of them and let them know I'm hurting as much if not more than they are," he said.
Mentor The Future
Over his nearly 50-year career, Kasten has mentored front-office executives who have in turn run championship teams. An attentive and empathetic listener, he's also comfortable in his own skin.
As president of the Washington Nationals, Kasten promoted Mike Rizzo to become the team's general manager in 2009. A decade later, the Nationals won the World Series. Rizzo is still with the team as president of baseball operations and general manager.
"We'd get into emotional conversations at times," Rizzo recalled. "Even with sometimes animated and loud conversations, even in moments of stress, Stan wouldn't get upset about it. He's a guy you can be very open and unguarded with."
Rizzo marvels at Kasten's communication skills. "He can read a room," Rizzo said. "Whether he's talking with an area scout or he's at a black-tie dinner, he can communicate well with anybody."
Stan Kasten's Keys:
- The first sports executive to hold the title of president of three different teams in three different major sports at the same time.
- Overcame: Initial reluctance to accept demanding, precedent-setting job running two sports teams simultaneously.
- Lesson: "If you're afraid of going too far, you'll never go far enough."
