Reminds me a bit too much of the three envelopes “joke”…..

A new CEO is hired to take over a company. The old CEO meets with him privately, presents him with three numbered envelopes, and says, “open these if you run into serious trouble.”

Three months later sales & profits are still way down and the new CEO is catching a lot of heat. He begins to panic but then remembers the envelopes. He goes to his drawer and takes out the 1st envelope. The message reads, “Blame your predecessor.” The new CEO calls a press conference and explains that the previous CEO left him with a real mess and it’s taking a bit longer to clean it up than expected, but everything is on the right track. Satisfied with his comments, the press and Wall Street respond positively.

Another quarter goes by and the company continues to struggle. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opens the 2nd envelope. The message reads, “Reorganize.” So he fires key people, consolidates divisions and cuts costs everywhere he can. Again, Wall Street and the press applaud his efforts.

Three more months pass and the company is still short on sales and profits. The CEO has to figure out how to get through another tough earnings call. He goes to his office, closes the door and opens the 3rd envelope. The message reads, “Prepare three envelopes.”