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 gathered the young executives in his company. He said, “It is time
for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to
choose one of you. “
The executives were shocked. The boss continued “I am going to give
each one of you a SEED today – one special SEED. I want you to plant
it, water it, and come back 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, Jim, went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She got
a pot, soil and helped plant the seed. Everyday, he’d water it and
watch to see if it had grown.
After a few weeks, the 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 – nothing. Jim knew he killed his seed. Everyone
had plants and trees…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 went by and all the executives 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 greeted his executives.
Jim 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 saw Jim at the back of the room with his
empty pot and ordered Jim to come forward.
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 announced, “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 realized 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 CEO!”
* 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 Hashem , you will reap a harvest
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will
reap later.
HaZor’im B’Dim’ah…B’Reena Yikzoru.