In partnership with
(This is part 6 in an ongoing Gritletter series unpacking Winning Through Intimidation by Robert J. Ringer)
Most people fear the wolf that shows its teeth.
But the truth is—he’s the most honest animal in the forest.
Robert Ringer calls him Type No. 1: the black-hat player who tells you exactly who he is before the game even starts. He’s the “bad guy” by polite society’s standards—ruthless, unsentimental, unapologetically self-interested. But he’s also the one person who doesn’t pretend.
His philosophy is simple: I warned you. You chose to play anyway.
The Professor at Screw U
Ringer’s first “professor” at what he jokingly calls Screw U was a veteran lender in his late 60s—a man who viewed business as sport and negotiation as bloodless combat.
He didn’t need money anymore. What he loved was winning.
When a desperate builder came begging for a $150,000 loan, the professor began stacking the deck—methodically, surgically, and without apology.
First strike: demanded additional collateral—ten properties instead of nine.
Second: cut the loan amount from $150 K to $105 K after weeks of negotiation.
Third: required the borrower to deposit one-twelfth of his annual property taxes each month, giving the lender use of the money all year.
Final blow: withheld $20,000 until one of the new buildings reached 80 percent occupancy.
By the time the papers were signed, the borrower was technically in default.
Cold? Maybe.
But the professor had made the rules clear from the start.
The Architecture of Intimidation
To outsiders, his methods looked cruel. To Ringer, they were pure clarity.
The professor never hid his intentions. He simply designed the deal so he could never lose. His power didn’t come from threats—it came from structure. Contracts, contingencies, clauses.
He understood that intimidation isn’t about emotion—it’s about design.
When the other party is desperate and you’re not, that imbalance itself becomes a form of leverage. The professor’s greatest asset wasn’t his money. It was staying power—the ability to walk away from any deal without flinching. That made him impossible to intimidate.
Desperation is weakness. Staying power is wealth.
Ringer, watching closely, began to grasp the deeper lesson: that honesty and ruthlessness aren’t opposites. In business, clarity is kindness.
If everyone knows the rules and the risks, no one is truly betrayed.
The Partnership of Pure Self-Interest
Over time, the professor grew to respect Ringer’s persistence and precision. The young broker was meticulous, hungry, and fast. If the professor needed more data, Ringer flew a thousand miles to get it.
Their relationship flourished because their motives were transparent.
Each man benefited when the other won.
No illusions, no false friendship—just aligned incentives.
Honesty doesn’t always sound nice. It sounds real.
Ringer became known as the old man’s “watchdog.” Clients joked about it, but he didn’t mind. He knew which side his bread was buttered on—and he was learning the unwritten laws of the business jungle faster than any MBA could teach.
Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.
Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.
Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.
The Real Lesson
Type No. 1 isn’t moral or immoral — he’s mathematical.
He plays to win, but he tells you the rules up front. You can decline the game, but if you step onto the board, you accept his architecture.
Society trains us to see this kind of player as the villain. Yet paradoxically, he’s the only one being honest about what business really is — a contest of preparation, position, and endurance.
Ringer realized that the world doesn’t punish aggression — it punishes naiveté.
And sometimes, the toughest deals are the cleanest ones.
You don’t have to like the Type No. 1.
But you’d be foolish not to learn from him.
Clarity Over Comfort
What separates winners from casualties isn’t luck, charm, or even intelligence.
It’s how clearly they see the game they’re in.
The professor’s power came from patience. Ringer’s growth came from exposure.
And your advantage—today, in a noisier, faster world—comes from designing your systems with the same precision: rules clear, incentives aligned, exits defined.
You can be kind and still play to win.
You can lead with integrity and still build leverage.
Clarity and compassion are not opposites—they’re coordinates.
Because business, like life, rewards the one who sees the full board.
🧭 Takeaway
Don’t fear the wolf who shows his teeth.
Fear the ones who smile while hiding their fangs.
At least the Type No. 1 gives you a choice.
He tells you exactly who he is—and that’s more honesty than most people will ever give you.
✨ Editor’s Note
This essay is Part 6 in the ongoing Gritletter series unpacking Winning Through Intimidation by Robert J. Ringer.
If you missed earlier parts, you can catch up in the archive or search “Winning Through Intimidation” on the site.
🧩 Builder’s Resource
If you’re building your own system of staying power—tracking clients, projects, and negotiations—the tool I personally recommend is Project.co. It keeps deals transparent, deliverables aligned, and communication clean—exactly the kind of structure that turns chaos into clarity.
Prefer watching to reading?
Gritletter is now on YouTube — short, visual essays on clarity, systems, and discipline in the modern world.
If you’ve been enjoying these ideas in writing, you’ll see them come to life there.