A man took a job as a senior executive of a large company. It was his first big promotion to a job of this caliber and he was replacing a man who had been fired not long ago. On his first day, he walked into his large office with its skyline view and thick carpeting. While setting up his office, he came across three envelopes in the desk. The envelopes were numbered “One”, “Two” and “Three”. The envelope labeled “One” had written on the front “Open This Now” while the other two said “Do Not Open Yet” on them. He opened the first envelope. A letter inside had been written to him by his predecessor. On it, the former executive told the new executive how to be successful.
“When crisis strikes and you are called before the board, blame the situation on me,” the letter said. It concluded by instructing him to open the second and third envelopes only after the first crisis had been weathered.
Soon enough, in the months following his takeover, things got bad and the new executive was called to account for the situation. He recalled what was written in the first letter and when he faced the stern-faced board of directors, he lashed out at the previous manager and said that the current problems were his fault. The board nodded and agreed and the new executive returned to his office, relieved. When he got there, he opened the second envelope. On a letter from the previous executive was written, “If you are reading this, you have successfully weathered the first crisis. Congratulations. Now when the next crisis comes, blame the economic conditions for the problem.”
After a few more months, things really got bad and the board called the new executive once again for an accounting. Standing before the board, terrified, he cited the weak economic climate and stated that this was the reason for the current crisis. They nodded sagely and agreed, allowing him to return to his spacious office.
Returning to his office, shaken, the executive sat at his desk and tore open the third envelope, now eager to read its words of wisdom. The title on the envelope said “How to respond to the third crisis.”
Inside the envelope was a folded page and on the page were three words:
“Prepare Three Envelopes..."
From www.quora.com