A chance encounter between Raj Wadhwani, president of ContactCenterWorld.com and Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) turned into an opportunity to find out the inner workings of a great leader, and how dedication and hard work can push any venture you attempt to the pinnacle of success. Some may wonder what Ultimate Fighting has to do with managing contact centers or any business structure for that matter, but by taking the lessons learned by Dana and other corporate champions, and by emulating those who have achieved triumph, we quickly discover that forging our own success is based on one element that all these winners have in common: Passion for what you do!
Dana, like many other business professionals, you took a chance when you got involved with the UFC, what motivated you all those years ago?I saw a sport that could be the biggest in the world if done right. Just seeing that type of potential is motivation enough because I knew that with my partners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, we could make this thing work.
You have been amazingly successful with the UFC and made it the fastest growing sport in the world, what do you attribute your success to?
We work harder than everyone else and we give the fans what they want. It sounds simple, but you’d be amazed at how many people in the combat sports business skate by and just look at the bottom line while forgetting about the people who are paying for tickets and buying pay-per-views, DVDs, and other merchandise. I’m still a fan of this sport and I still love this sport, so I know what the fans of the UFC want and I’m going to do everything in my power to make things happen for them. That's the difference.
In your personal opinion, what do you look for in your fighters?
Obviously you have to have a certain level of talent and experience to make it in the UFC, which is the elite level of the sport. But there are also intangibles that I look for in guys, and those guys I call "real fighters." They're the ones who come in and they're willing to fight anybody, and when they do, win or lose, they give everything they've got in the Octagon, not only to win, but to entertain the fans. And one of the prerequisites for fighting here is that you have to be available for the fans. When you go to a Lakers game, odds are that you’re not going to be able to meet Kobe Bryant and get his autograph. But when you come to a UFC event, you're almost guaranteed to meet some of the best fighters in the world and get an autograph or a picture, and I want to make sure that all of our guys realize that the fans are the ones who are signing their paychecks.
How many fighters are involved in the UFC today and what were you guys doing at the Red Rock in Las Vegas?
We have about 200 guys currently under contract. That number can fluctuate based on new fighters who we bring in or fighters who are cut from the roster. At Red Rock we had our second fighter summit. Basically what we did was bring the fighters in for a series of seminars that focused on what it takes to be a professional athlete in and out of the Octagon. That involves financial management, branding, social networking, and the perks and the pitfalls of being in the public eye. We care about these guys and we want them prepared for anything that comes their way while they’re competing and even after they've retired from the sport.
What personal challenges have you had to overcome to get to where you are today?
I was a wild kid with no direction, and like a lot of people that age, I went through bad times and bad jobs until I decided to take a chance and do something that I wanted to do for a living, which was work in the fight game. I was making great money for a kid that age when I was working as a doorman back in Boston, but I was miserable. My story’s not that much different than most people's. I had my ups and downs, but I found my passion in life and decided to chase after it.
What motivates you?
Knowing that we haven’t even scratched the surface on where we can take this sport. I want this sport to be the biggest in the world, bigger than football in the United States and soccer around the rest of the world. People sometimes tell me how mainstream the UFC has gotten. We're not even close to where I want us to be yet. That's my motivation, and it's what gets me out of bed in the morning every day.
You have worked with so many champions over the years, what common traits do you notice in those who reach the top in the UFC?
Dedication, heart, willingness to learn, and talent. I put talent last because without the first three, all the talent in the world won’t save you. This sport will test you physically and mentally, and you’ve got to be willing to dedicate your life to this. You also have to be strong enough inside to fight through adversity and push forward when things aren’t going your way, and in this sport, there is no way to become a master of all aspects of the game, so you have to keep learning and keep evolving to stay on top.
How do you deal with fighters who underperform?
The UFC is for the elite of the sport, so you’re only going to see the best of the best here. And I don’t expect every fighter here to win every fight, but I do expect to see them fighting to win. In this sport, with so many variables involved, you’re going to eventually lose. But if you leave it all out there and lose, I will never cut a guy for that. That doesn't mean you can go 0-5 in the UFC and keep your job though, because like I said, this is for the elite of the game.
You have been incredibly active with social media like Twitter - what do you like about these tools?
I'm a fan of the UFC, so why wouldn't I want to interact with people who feel the same way about the UFC as I do? Twitter brings me closer to the fans, I've met a lot of cool people through it, and it helps me to know what the fans are thinking and what they want from the UFC so I can make it happen.
If you could turn back time, what would you change in your career?
Nothing. And I mean that.
You are also a consumer and call companies to get information or buy products, what do you hate the most when you reach a call center?
When my partners and I built this company we looked at it from a fan's perspective. What if we did THIS? What if we did THAT? It kept the ideas flowing because we’d seen it done badly so many times before. That to me is customer service. I figured out what I wanted as a customer, and then it’s up to my team to deliver.
What's next for the UFC?
Three things off the top of my head: continuing our international expansion into even more countries; increasing household penetration in North America, and putting on the biggest event in the history of Madison Square Garden once we're regulated in New York State.
You seem to love your job - on TV you smile lots and enjoy what you do - what's the best part of your job?
Doing something I love to do and sharing it with all the fans who feel the same way about this sport that I do. When you see a packed arena stand up and cheer after a great fight, you can't describe the feeling.
How do you motivate the people who work with you?
I don't need to motivate them. My staff feels the same way about this sport that I do and they're willing to work around the clock to get things done. This isn't your typical 9 to 5 job and the people who work here know that coming in. Like I mentioned earlier, we’re here because we work harder than everybody else, and having to motivate my staff is not a concern. They're already motivated to make this sport the biggest in the world.
Lastly, what advice would you give to other business professionals who would like to be as successful in their respective roles as you have with the UFC?
You can't fake your passion for something – you either have it or you don't. And you can’t overanalyze it. We have lawyers, finance guys, marketing people, TV sales guys, and spreadsheets on every possible way of looking at it. But without passion for what you do it’s a pile of numbers adding up to nothing. You’ve got to love what you do, even on the worst days, and surround yourself with people who feel the same way you do.
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