Michael Coen spent over twenty-five years in senior management positions with two different Silicon Valley companies. When it came to managing personnel, he was influenced most significantly by the fourteen months he spent living at the Langford, a dilapidated San Francisco residence hotel. Coen grew up in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The day after he turned eighteen in July 1975, he left to attend college in San Francisco, where his life was never the same again. Living amongst mentally ill, violent, and desperate individuals, Coen learned to survive using his instincts, sense of humor, and the ability to negotiate, as maturity was shoveled down his throat at a rapid pace. Early in his stay at the residence hotel, Coen woke up to a fellow resident, Otto, pounding on him, accusing him of something he didn’t do. Another resident even set the walls of the Langford ablaze. Filled with sex, drugs, rock and roll, and fascinating people, The Langford showcases many examples illustrating the emotional growth Coen acquired while at the Langford. After narrowly escaping death more than once, he acquired insights regarding human nature that helped him build a solid foundation for all future human interactions.