Martial arts entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong takes new ‘Apprentice’ series to Amazon Prime Video
Like the original “Apprentice,” the ONE Championship edition is also run by a businessman who has grown a billion-dollar empire — ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
But in this edition, Chatri’s martial arts background is responsible for a refreshing culture change. Competitors have traveled from all over the world from a mix of business, marketing, and martial arts backgrounds vying to be “The One” to win a one-year, $250,000 job offer to be Chatri’s Chief of Staff in Singapore, where ONE is headquartered.
Red flag in business personalities
“I think the biggest red flag is a lack of integrity. I don’t believe in ‘fake it until you make it,’ and I don’t believe in bullshitting.
“I believe in straight talk, in sharing good or bad/ugly news, with all key stakeholders, at all times, including your employees. I believe it’s important that you are a person of your word and there’s alignment of your thoughts, words and actions.”
Green flag for business leaders
“I think the foundation of any great human being or leader throughout history – business or not – has always been integrity.
“You have a moral compass, typically. I think the end does not justify the means. Striving to do the right thing by his or her people, always doing the right thing when no one is watching, is first and foremost.”
The “rarest” personality trait in business
“I think a really rare trait is humility in people.
“By being humble, you’re able to accept the truth whether it’s good or bad/ugly about yourself or your company, so that you can use it to improve. You can use it to learn, grow and evolve.
“Because of my lifelong martial arts background for the last 38 years, humility and the continuous seeking of knowledge and lessons has become a personal principle. ‘Improving yourself 1% a day’ comes from a martial arts background, actually.
“You can only improve if you’re humble enough to admit your setbacks, obstacles and mistakes. I think most people have a tendency to protect their egos versus embracing failures, setbacks and mistakes. They’d rather blame the world than themselves.”
Chatri’s greatest strength AND weakness
“I think one of my greatest strengths and weaknesses is that I have a passion for our mission of unleashing real-life superheroes.
“Passion can be a double-edged sword. When you have passion, you’re willing to overcome any obstacles or setbacks in a way that you’re almost unbreakable, because there’s an obsession. But with passion also comes strong emotions. I have a very fierce and aggressive style to my leadership, and I think that can be a negative at times.
“I think the fact that I’m also brutally honest – saying the good, bad or ugly – doesn’t always work with everybody because some people prefer to have things sugarcoated, and I don’t sugarcoat, so the combination of my passion and my blunt, aggressive leadership style can sometimes backfire.”
