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”
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