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 wits'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 problems.
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."