A successful business man was
growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the
business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided
to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company
together. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I
have decided to choose one of you.”
The young executives were
shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED
today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come
back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have
given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose
will be the next CEO.”
One man, named Jim, was there
that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly,
told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he
planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had
grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk
about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but
nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and
he felt like a failure.
Six months went by — still
nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had
trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his
colleagues, however… He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so
wanted the seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives of
the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn’t
going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment
of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board
room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the
other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes.
Jim put his empty pot on the
floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him! When the
CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just
tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have
grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim
at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director
to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a
failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked
him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit
down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives,
“Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t
believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. “How could he be the new CEO?” the
others said.
Then the CEO said, “One year ago
today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant
it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they
were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have
brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not
grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one
with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore,
he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”
* If you plant honesty, you will
reap trust.
* If you plant goodness, you will
reap friends.
* If you plant humility, you will
reap greatness.
* If you plant perseverance, you
will reap contentment.
* If you plant consideration, you
will reap perspective.
* If you plant hard work, you
will reap success.
* If you plant forgiveness, you
will reap reconciliation.
* If you plant faith in God, you
will reap a harvest.
So, be careful what you
plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. “Whatever You Give To
Life, Life Gives You Back”
No comments:
Post a Comment