三个信封
A new manager was starting his first day at a company that had been having a difficult year. As the old manager was clearing out his desk, he handed his replacement three numbered envelopes.
"When you run into trouble," he said, "open these, one at a time, in order."
Things went well for the first six months. Then sales dropped, and the board started asking awkward questions. The new manager was worried, so he opened the first envelope. The message inside said: "Blame your predecessor."
So he did. He called a meeting and explained that the company's problems had started long before he arrived. The board nodded, and everyone calmed down.
About a year later, the company hit trouble again. Profits fell, and staff were unhappy. The manager opened the second envelope. It said: "Reorganise."
So he did. He moved teams around, changed job titles and announced an exciting new structure. The board was impressed, and things soon got back on track.
Another year passed, and once again the company was in serious difficulty. The manager went to his drawer and opened the third and final envelope.
It said: "Prepare three envelopes."
一家公司这一年过得很艰难，新经理来上任的第一天，老经理一边收拾办公桌，一边递给接班人三个编了号的信封。
“遇到麻烦的时候，”他说，“就按顺序把它们一个一个打开。”
头六个月一切顺利。后来销售额下滑，董事会开始提一些让人难堪的问题。新经理很担心，于是打开了第一个信封。里面写着：“怪罪你的前任。”
他照做了。他召开会议，解释说公司的问题早在他来之前就开始了。董事会成员连连点头，大家都平静了下来。
大约一年后，公司又遇到了麻烦。利润下降，员工也不满。经理打开了第二个信封，上面写着：“重组。”
他又照做了。他调整了各个团队，改了职位名称，还宣布了一个令人振奋的新架构。董事会很满意，公司很快又走上了正轨。
又过了一年，公司再一次陷入了严重的困境。经理走到抽屉前，打开了第三个，也是最后一个信封。
上面写着：“准备三个信封。”