A fellow had just been
hired as the new
CEO of a large high tech
corporation. The CEO who was stepping down
met with him privately and
presented him with three numbered
envelopes. “Open these if you run up
against a problem you don’t think
you can solve,” he said. Well,
things
went along pretty
smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn
and he was really
catching a lot of heat. About at his wit’s end, he
remembered the
envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first
envelope. The
message read, “Blame your predecessor.” The new CEO
called a

press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the

previous
CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press — and Wall Street
—
responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was
soon
behind him. About a year later, the company was again
experiencing a
slight dip in sales, combined with serious product pro
blems. Having
learned from his previous experience, the CEO
quickly opened the second
envelope. The message read, “Reorganize.” This
he did, and the
company
quickly rebounded. After several
consecutive profitable quarters, the
company once again fell on difficult
times. The CEO went to his office,
closed the door and opened the
third envelope. The message said,
“Prepare
three envelopes.”