... 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 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. Everyday, 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 the
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
· In 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.
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