‘Apprentice’ champion Yabut: Yes, Filipinos can make it big

CEBU, Philippines - Visayan-blooded Jonathan Allen S. Yabut showed he meant business in joining The Apprentice Asia, capping the show’s final interview with the rousing line “the Filipino can make it big”.

And before he knew it, Yabut made it big himself.

In the show that hoped to scout the top-salaried apprentice for Malaysian business magnate and AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes, Yabut outperformed 11 other contenders from a total of seven countries in Asia, all chosen from over 30,000 that auditioned.

Twenty-eight-year-old Yabut, whose parents hail from Aklan, told The FREEMAN in an interview that this victory sends the message to the youth that Pinoy talent is world class, something that every Filipino should be proud of.

Taking inspiration from his Apprentice experience, Yabut said the Filipino corporate worker is a fighter, approach-oriented or madiskarte, and has first-rate people skills. He said these attributes are the primary ingredients why Filipinos remain globally-competitive in the business landscape.

His winning secret

 Yabut said it was obvious in the show that he didn't possess the strongest candidate record after incurring more losses, less PM appointments, and more bottom 3 callbacks.

“People have asked me: how did you best the others then? Was it luck? Yes, partly it could be, such as the toss coin win in the finale. Was it because I was the smartest? I don't have everyone's IQ score and I seriously suspect someone among us 12 has it better than mine.”

 â€œWas it having the best, most expensive education background? My parents obviously couldn't afford that. Work experience? Clearly not when I'm the youngest among males,” he said.

 For Yabut, the four-letter word “grit” was instrumental to his winning.

Grit in psychology, he said, is a non-intellectual trait of having undeniable belief and passion to pursue a long-term goal. It is a driving force stronger than perseverance, more powerful than motivation, and more sustainable than drive.

Yabut explained grit is basically having the heart to overcome something no matter what the obstacle or challenge is. For him, it is the synergy of passion and drive, guided by a clear set of objectives and timeframe.

“You don't buy grit through special pills nor do you inherit it from your parents. You have to discover and develop it,” Yabut said.

Yabut also pointed out that in various quantitative studies, youngsters who had better IQ test scores were not necessarily the ones who succeeded later in their lives, nor were the kids whose parents came from rich backgrounds.

“The more successful ones were those who simply possessed and displayed grit,” he said.

 â€œYou don't need to be an Einstein nor a Richie Rich to make it big, but you definitely need grit. I luckily found mine before I joined The Apprentice Asia, and I'm looking forward to find more,” he wrapped up. 

Challenges at home

After the win that was hotly welcomed by Filipinos over the social media, Yabut takes a chief of staff position at AirAsia, a regional airline company serving Malaysia and Southeast Asian destinations.

Asked what his expectations are working for Fernandes, Yabut said he now has to prove to the rest of Asia why he deserved the title, adding he has to work at inspiring more Filipinos to make it big internationally.

But before the anticipated stint, the cum laude Economics graduate from the University of the Philippines - Diliman had already worked in several companies back home.

From what Yabut had observed, there is still a culture of mediocrity or “pwede na” attitude among workers in local businesses here and this, he said, leaves a lot of room for people behind these businesses to improve and excel more.

Yabut also hopes that Filipinos learn to commit to the agreed time during business meetings. “Pinoys still adopt the plus one hour or plus 30 minutes time mentality. We should outgrow that kind of mind-set,” he said.

In the same interview, Yabut also slammed the supposed tendency of Filipinos to be western-centric, saying giving too high regard to western pop culture “hampers Pinoy culture to come out easily.”

A seasoned debater and himself having excellent command of the English language, Yabut ironically expressed discomfort in parents teaching their kids to speak English only.

Meanwhile, Yabut and fellow Apprentice contender Celina Le Neindre, also a Filipino, have started “Journeys of Inspiration” series of talks where they go to schools in Manila imparting to students how to build their passion in pursuit of their goals. (FREEMAN)