THE
SEED
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 todayone
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 Sam, 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. |
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Photo by Johannes
Plenio on Unsplash.com
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Sam
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
Sam didn't have a plant and he
felt like a failure. Six months
went bystill
nothing in Sam's pot. He just
knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall
plants, but he had nothing. Sam
didn't say anything to his colleagues,
however. He just kept watering
and fertilizing the soilhe
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. Sam told his
wife that he wasn't going to
take an empty pot. But she asked
him to be honest about what happened.
Sam 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 Sam arrived, he was amazed
at the variety of plants grown
by the other executives. They
were beautifulin
all shapes and sizes. Sam 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.
Sam
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
Sam at the back of the room with
his empty pot. He ordered the
Financial Director to bring him
to the front. Sam was terrified.
He thought, "The
CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe
he will have me fired!"
When
Sam got to the front, the CEO
asked him what had happened to
his seedSam
told him the story.
The
CEO asked everyone to sit down
except Sam. He looked at Sam,
and then announced to the young
executives, "Behold
your next Chief Executive Officer!
His name is Sam!" Sam
couldn't believe it. Sam 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 deadit
was not possible for them to
grow."
"All
of you, except Sam, 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. Sam 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"