Richard was already in his seventies.
By then, he had spent decades building the company from a small operation into a respected regional business. Employees spoke about him with a strange mixture of admiration and fear.
He wasn’t cruel.
He never screamed at employees. He didn’t humiliate people in meetings or throw things when he was angry.
He didn’t need to.
Richard had perfected a much more effective technique.
He would simply lower his glasses slightly, look at you over the frames, and remain silent.
That look could make a person reconsider every decision they had made since breakfast.
I received that look several times during my interview.
I was convinced I had failed.
Then, near the end, he closed my résumé and asked me a question.
“Why should I hire someone with almost no experience?”
I swallowed.
I could have invented something impressive. I could have pretended to be more confident than I was.
