Ages back, someone referred to this mantra, possibly, in one of the gatherings of Management Association of Nepal (MAN). I am recalling here for the benefit of new comers in leadership positions. Here goes the mantra:
A new leader is hired to manage a sick as well as sickening public institution. As a show of respect and goodwill gesture, he visited his predecessor and requested, based on his experience, how he should manage the institution in the days to come? The outgoing CEO or the Head handed him three neatly sealed envelopes - consecutively numbered 1-3, with an explicit suggestion that each envelop should be opened, only at a time of desperate crisis.
The newly appointed manager carefully tucked away three sealed envelopes inside his office drawer.
Since he is already heading a crisis-driven institution, there are more than enough problems to handle. He struggled and tried to pull the strings, here and there, but cannot come out of the situation. So, as an ultimate resort, he pulled out Envelop Numbered 1 handed to him by his predecessor. He could read a clear message or a mantra in writing: Blame your predecessor. Ah, how can he be so forgetful about this simple trick? He starts blaming past leadership for the present day crisis. “These problems are not because of me, I have just arrived, these are the results of last 30-35 years of misrule, corruption and inefficiency. Give me a break. I will handle them. I will pull you out from of this sinking sand.” Interestingly, this mantra worked. His stakeholders - employees, customers, creditors, shareholders, dealers, superiors - all kept quiet, and nodded with an agreement - he should be given enough time to manage.
After a couple of months, things started to crumble. He is confronted with all kinds of problems - ranging from employee strikes, lockouts to creditors asking for payments, media people demanding advertisement doles, and politicians seeking for jobs to their near and dear ones. The boat is tremendously shaking. Things were going from bad to worse. He is forced to open Envelop Numbered 2. There he found another advice: Form a study commission. He immediately formed an all-powered investigation commission to study on the problems of the institution and seek reform measures from everybody - from the man on the street to people at the helm of the organization! He put all the grumbling men into the commission. The second mantra worked. He has a sigh of relief. But it worked for a while. As the days went by our manager is, again, besieged by seemingly intractable problems. He found himself cornered from every end. Now, he is forced to resort to open the last and the final advice, that is, to open Envelop Numbered 3. The message written included: Resign and prepared three envelopes for his successor, similar to the one, I prepared for you.
