Not to long ago a young man by the name Eric who had just finished college applied for a managerial position in a big company. He successfully passed the first and second interviews, and now he only had to pass the interview with the CEO which had the final word about the employment. As the CEO went through the CV he saw that Eric’s academic achievements were very impressive all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research.

The first question that the CEO asked was, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?” Eric answered “None sir”.

The CEO then asked,  “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?” Eris answered that his father passed away when he was one year old and that his mother paid for his school fees and everything else. 

The CEO followed up with the question about where did his mother work. After Eric told the CEO that his mother worked as a clothes cleaner the CEO asked to see his hands. Eric was very surprised about this request but did as he was told and he carefully observed what the CEO would do. Without giving any signals the CEO asked Eric “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” Without thinking about the meaning of those words Eric answered “Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me”. After hearing the answer the CEO silently looked at Eric’s hands a little bit more and finally said  “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then come see me tomorrow morning”.

Eric agreed to do so. As he was walking home he went through the interview step by step in his mind and was sure he had a high chance of getting the job. As he came home he requested his mother to let him clean her hands. The mother felt happy and strange at the same time but was willing to oblige her son. As Eric was cleaning his mother’s hands he noticed for the first time in his life how bad his mother’s hands were wrinkled and bruised. As he was washing her hands she sometimes shivered out of pain when he went through the bruises. He tried very hard not to cry but every now and then a tear came down his cheek as he only now saw how hard his mother worked to enable him his life and opportunities. After he finished cleaning his mother’s hands he prepared dinner for her and while she was eating he washed all the remaining clothes his mother had not yet finished. After that, Eric and his mother talked for a long time into the night about their lives.

The next morning Eric came to the CEO’s office on time. As the CEO asked Eric what he had learned the day before at home and how did he felt now, he noticed a couple of tears going down his cheeks. Eric answered that he cleaned his mother’s hand and then prepared dinner for her and washed all the clothes he could find. But the most important thing is that he now knows what appreciation is. Without his mother and her sacrifice he never would have had the opportunity to become the man, he is today. And by working together with here the night before he realized how difficult and tough her work was.

The CEO said “This is what I am looking for in my manager to be. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his personal goal in life above all else. You are hired”. In years to come Eric worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team because of this. The company’s performance improved tremendously while Eric was the manager who never forgot his lessons from the interview.