Breaking Windows
This is an adapted excerpt from Chapter 7 of my new book; please enjoy!
A bit of a humorous story from my college days, I guess I have always taken the direct approach in life!
Back in 1978, you used to have to get up at 5 am on Monday mornings during the winter interviewing months and walk to the Career Placement Center on campus. Then, stand in a line to sign up for job interviews with your favored companies on a clipboard, all on a first come, first served basis. Needless to say, you missed a lot of good companies to interview with due to this archaic system. Some companies were known for great interviews and highly valued to interview with, when their hiring managers were on campus.
One of these companies was a multinational cooperation that I will refer to as “Company X”. They were known for their high-pressure interviews and IF you could make an impression with them, you could make an impression on anyone! I badly wanted to interview with them, if only for the experience. Sadly, all their interview slots were filled by the time I got the clipboard. They had been in the news just prior to being on campus because one of their battery factories in India had exploded, killing hundreds of people.
I was a Resident Advisor in CU’s dormitory system, and one of the ladies on my floor worked at the Career Placement Center as a secretary. On the one day Company X was in town for interviews, it snowed heavily, and the first person on the schedule had to cancel their interview time because of the weather. That secretary called me (on my rotary dialed, land-line phone), by chance catching me in my room. She said if I ran over I could get an interview with the Company X hiring manager. I arrived — breathing heavily with snow in my hair — just in time for the first interview of the day.
I walked into the room with my resume in hand, gave it to the hiring manager — who was sitting behind an elevated desk (to show power) — and I was told to sit down. The manager never looked at me. With my file directly in front of his face he stated, “Mr. Ritscher, it is hot in this room; please open the window”.
It was more of a command than a request. I went to the only window in the room — a single pane, wood framed style — on the ground level of the building, and I found that the window was screwed shut. I told the hiring manager the window had been screwed shut, probably for the winter weather and because it was so old, and it couldn’t be opened. His response was to state, “This interview cannot begin until you open the window, Mr. Ritscher!” Again, I mentioned that the window was screwed shut and without tools it could not be opened. I returned to my seat, beneath his desk.
The manager just sat there and said nothing for several minutes. Finally, I asked if we were going to have an interview. He then stated I had not lived up to the criteria required of me to have an interview with Company X. I told him it was impossible to open the window as it was screwed shut. He said, “Once you live up to the criteria required of you, I will be happy to start the interview.” I had grown tired of the “Jedi Knight mind tricks” and the interviewer’s arrogance. So I stood up, picked up my chair, and threw it through the window!
The sound of broken glass brought many people rushing to the room, and the hiring manager said, “What in the hell are you doing?” I told him I was making sure Company X could not use such a childish power ploy on any other University of Colorado Business School candidates that day. I grabbed my resume and left. I never heard from anyone at the Career Placement Center regarding the incident, and Company X was soon out of business. While their closure was not because of me, I did feel I certainly had my say.
Sometimes the very best action to take is the drastic one, this story from my younger days is pretty crazy, and I would certainly think twice about taking a similar action at my current age. But looking back, this incident really helped define the sort of person I would become. I decided right then and there that I would always be confident in my position, and I wouldn’t accept bullying from anybody.
Parkinson’s has been one of my greatest adversaries, if not the greatest bully in my life. Becoming a very direct person, who has not been afraid of bold actions has armed me with a fortitude that I would not have survived without. I have a strong need to win, even if it is a loosing game. Parkinson’s often has the upper hand in my day to day, but I have developed the perseverance to match it. I thought I would be in a wheelchair by now. I have Had PD for 9 years, but fighting hard and staying mentally tough has brought me a lot further then I could have predicted.
I hope you can see the warrior down deep inside yourself. It’s the fighter who will be there for your loved ones till the bitter end. You have so much life left in you to share. Armed with your grit, your family support, and the immortal gifts from God, you can still shock those around you with your ability to smash through barriers.
Stay strong, God’s speed,
Greg Ritscher
Be sure to post in the comments below if you have some thoughts you want to share with everyone. Also, check out my new book, I wrote it for all of us!
