ONE VERY SPECIAL SEED

A successful businessman 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 very interested and 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 care for it, then 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 Joe, 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.

 

Joe kept checking his seed, but nothing ever happened.

 

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing grew.

 

By now, the other young executives were talking about their plants, but Joe didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

 

Six months went by -- still nothing sprouted in Joe's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Joe didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He really prayed that his seed would grow.

 

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

 

Joe told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot, but she asked him to be honest about what happened. Joe felt sick to his stomach and that 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 Joe arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Joe put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed and a few felt sorry for him!

 

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

 

Joe 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 Joe at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Joe was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

 

When Joe got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed, Joe told him the whole story.

 

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Joe. He looked at him and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

 

His name is "Joe!" he couldn't believe it. Joe couldn't even grow his seed.

 

"How could he be the new CEO?", the other young executives 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 care for it, then bring it back to me today. However, I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

 

All of you, except for Joe, 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. Joe was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me an empty pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be your 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

 

So, be careful what you plant now;

it will determine what you will reap later.

 ~