The reality TV show, the Apprentice, is one of my favourites. The host, Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of One Championship, is even better as he is Asian. The first half of season 2 was filmed in Singapore, where I am familiar. This makes it easier for me to relate to the challenges.
There is so much to learn from this season 2. The way Chatri analyses his contestants and the advice he gives them to help them excel. One takeaway I had from this show is about success. It is not the ultimate material gain, but is about our life’s journey and how we grow and become better people than we were yesterday. Discover our strength and know who we are inside. Importantly, we need to be humble.
Some contestants build walls within themselves because of the bad experiences that they had in the past with family and close friends. And this wall stays with them for so long that they block everyone out. Thus, they cannot trust and create a healthy working relationship with others. While some always want to lead and have everyone in the team follow their ideas and methods, they do not want to open up to suggestions and discussions: no empathy or professional leadership.
It is a good reflection on how we journey through life. Our journey. Did we grow and help others to grow and excel as well? Or did we step on others to grow and achieve more than them? Did we, at times, take others for granted? Did we pretend to be sincere to our clients or co-workers, thinking they could be fooled? Sometimes, we overestimate ourselves.
Our journey does not end when we stop working. We continue this journey into our retirement. The only difference now is that we are no longer surrounded by colleagues, co-workers and business partners but with new friends, family and the community. We still can have that competitive and fighting spirit, not for promotion or getting a new business deal, but to become a better person than we were yesterday, to bring meaning to life to others. I hope to have a better tomorrow with more love and happiness.
I do encourage you to watch THE APPRENTICE Season 2. It is on Netflix.
William Kho
William Kho was a senior management staff member of a water treatment company. He is now fully retired and pursuing a happy and meaningful retirement life.
