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 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.
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.

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 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 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!"