Learning the way of The Dragon

Chatri Sityodtong —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Actor and Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce Lee may have died close to 50 years ago, but his essential philosophies of continuous improvement, searching for one’s truth and having faith in oneself have lived on and continue to inspire generations of leaders.

Among them is martial artist Chatri Sityodtong, the Thai founder, chair and chief executive officer of Singapore-based ONE Championship, Asia’s largest global sports media property present in over 150 countries, including the Philippines.

And of the revered Lee’s many lessons, one inspires Sityodtong the most: “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”

The 49-year-old Sityodtong’s prayers were certainly answered.

Inner strength and indomitable will—honed by years of dedication to the martial arts starting with Muay Thai—allowed him to rise above his share of difficulties, from having to suddenly become the head of the family when his father left them after losing everything during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, to surviving on $4 a day at his lowest point in the United States where he pursued his degrees from Tufts University and Harvard Business School and living on $1.50 microwave meals as he chased his dream and launched his first startup company in Silicon Valley, before eventually making a name for himself in the corporate world then building ONE Championship over 10 years into one of Asia’s billion-dollar brands. Sityodtong—whose first name translates to “warrior” in Thai—was guided by Bruce Lee’s teachings once again as he steered ONE Championship through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that put an abrupt—albeit temporary—stop to the live events at the heart of ONE Championship’s operations.

Fortunately, ONE Championship began to expand its digital presence before the pandemic hit early last year thus it was able to pivot quickly and then introduce live events again as soon as restrictions eased in Singapore.

Even then, COVID-19 dealt a heavy enough blow that Sityodtong had to make the difficult decision in June last year to cut the global headcount by a hefty 20 percent as part of efforts to sharpen ONE Championship’s focus around core strategic priorities.

‘Extraordinary times’

In a letter to the ONE Championship team on one of the “saddest days” since he established the company in 2011 after walking away from a high-paying corporate career, Sityodtong said these “extraordinary times” required “unusual prudence to protect our company and to ensure its longevity for many years to come” thus the necessary move to reduce its workforce.

With over 35 years of martial arts experience as a student, fighter, teacher and coach, the black belter knows being bruised and battered is part of life. What is important, Sityodtong told the Inquirer, is to keep on fighting when the chips are down.

“The most important thing is to have creativity and resilience. That is what I tell my team; creativity because we are all encountering problems we have not experienced before so we need to solve new problems with new solutions,” he said. “Then resilience because this is the worst crisis in 100 years all over the world. So either you’re a fighter or you’re not. I strongly encourage everyone to see this as an opportunity to shine.”

Sityodtong, named one of Asia’s next-generation tycoons by Forbes, thus renewed his focus and put his energy on overdrive to take ONE Championship to another level, coming off a challenging 2020 that also saw the company hit its highest digital reach and expand to new fields.

Next month, for example, will see Sityodtong debut in Asia the ONE Championship edition of the popular reality show “The Apprentice” to be followed by the global launch in June. The show to be carried by TV5 here will feature 16 candidates from across the region with two—Lara Pearl Alvarez and Louie Sangalang—coming from the Philippines. The candidates will compete for a $250,000 job offer to work directly under Sityodtong for a year as his protege in Singapore.

Among the guest CEOs confirmed to join “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” are Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, Grab CEO Anthony Tan, Zilingo CEO Ankiti Bose, Catcha Group CEO Patrick Grove, Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson, and Everise CEO Sudhir Agarwal.

As the show rolls out, ONE Championship will continue mounting the eagerly awaited events that showcase the best of Asian martial arts that have captivated the global audience, all part of the continuous improvement that Lee has always believed in.

“This journey of continuous self improvement is the essence of martial arts and the essence of the most successful people in the world,” Sityodtong said.

Because Lee lived by that truth, he has remained an inspiration to people today, even those who are not into any form of martial arts.

“Bruce Lee is all about every individual seeking the truth to better himself or herself in life. Search for what ignites your soul, what is it that inspires you that will make you want to do it every day,” Sityodtong said, “Most people are chasing the external, living by society’s definition of success. Live by your own definition of success, that is when you will find true happiness.”

Lee could not agree more.