My friend John told me a story about once taking on a high-level job after his predecessor was fired. He knew the guy (Sandy) he was replacing and asked him if he had any advice. Sandy gave him the usual pablum, and then said “I’ve left you three letters in the top drawer of the desk.  If you get in trouble, open each of the letters in turn.”

John took on the job and it was quite a challenge. After about three or four months, things weren’t going very well and he decided to open the first of the letters.  He opened it and inside was a single sheet of paper. On it, Sandy had written “Blame your predecessor (me) for the issues. That will give you some more time.”

John thought about it some.  He didn’t want to throw Sandy under the bus, but then thought, hell the advice came from Sandy himself and he decided to do it. 

At the next board meeting he explained he had uncovered some new issues and they were directly caused by Sandy and his time with the company. The board nodded in agreement and told him to proceed and fix things.

Six months later, things hadn’t improved much. John was getting a bit desperate again and opened the second letter. For the second time, there was a single sheet of paper inside and on it, Sandy had written, “Reorganize.”

John thought to himself, “Of course! Brilliant idea!” And so, at the next board meeting John explained he was reorganizing and this would bring greater efficiency and increased profits.  The chairman nodded in agreement and said, “That sounds good John, but let’s get on with it.  We’ve put our faith in you.”

Another six months went by and things didn’t get any better.  As a matter of fact, they might have become worse.  Reluctantly, John decided he needed to open the last letter from Sandy.

For the third time, there was a single sheet of paper inside. On this one, Sandy had written, “Write three letters!”

__ 😉 __

No, not a true story, but I think a funny one. And while not a true story, there is some truth to what people try and do to improve an organization. As a SR VP in a publicly traded company, a COO for a private company, and the Chairman of a small IT Services company, I’ve seen all types of leaders and managers. I’ve never thought the blame game helped anyone and I’ve never been a believer in change for changes sake. Some “leaders” seem to do both.