ESL Blogs

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to 
chose 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.

"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. 
"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 - a 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 at 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, "Here is your next Chief
Executive! 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!" 

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.