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. 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 as 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!"
Moral: Honesty is a lifestyle of a winner. If you are
honest, you have infinite power supporting you.
