Taking over a failing department is a seamless process, provided you have a predecessor who understands the natural lifecycle of corporate blame.
A newly appointed executive spent his first week shadowing the manager he was replacing. On his final afternoon, the departing boss handed him three numbered envelopes and put them in the desk drawer. “If you ever hit a crisis you absolutely cannot solve, open these in order.”
Three months later, a massive operational disaster struck. Panicked and feeling the heat from the board, the new manager remembered the drawer and ripped open Envelope Number One.
The note inside read: “Blame your predecessor!”
He successfully shifted the blame, the board calmed down, and the crisis blew over.
Half a year later, sales plummeted and a major product defect went public. Terrified, the manager scrambled to open Envelope Number Two.
The message inside read: “Reorganize!”
He immediately reshuffled the entire company structure, fired a few mid-level supervisors, and the company’s stock magically bounced back.
Another three months passed, and an even bigger financial scandal erupted. High-ranking executives were demanding answers. Confident in his foolproof system, the manager confidently slipped his hand into the drawer and tore open Envelope Number Three.
The message inside read:
“Prepare three envelopes…”
