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 wits’ end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, “Blame your predecessor.” The new CEOcalled 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 positvely, 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 envelop. The message said, “Prepare three envelopes.”

一个人被新聘为一家大型高科技公司的首席执行官。刚刚卸任的首席执行官与他私下见了一面，交给他3个信封，都标了数字。他说：“碰到解决不了的问题就打开信封看看。”

刚开始，一切进展顺利。但6个月后，销售量开始下滑，各方的指责都指向他。一筹莫展之时，他想起了那几个信封。他打开抽提取出第一个信封。里面有字条写着：“将责任推卸给前任首席执行官。他的陈词令人心腹，媒体和华尔街都做出了正面的回应，销售量开始回升，问题也很快解决了。

约一年后，公司销售量又有轻微下滑，而且还有严重的产品问题。有了第一次的经验，这位首席执行官马上打开了第二个信封。字条上写着：“重组。”他照办了，公司景况又很快回复了。

然而，公司在经历了连续几个季度的盈利之后，再度陷入了危机。这位首席执行官走进他的办公室，关上门，打开了第三个信封，上面写着，“再准备3个信封。”