A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor for his business, instead of choosing one of the directors or his children, he decided to call all the young directors together.
He said to them, "It's time for me to choose the next CEO of the company, but I am going to give you one special seed which you will plant, water it and bring it back after a year with what has grown from the seed, then I will judge the plant and then choose who will be the next CEO"
One man, named Johnes was there, and he like others received the seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get the pot and compost and they planted the seed. Every day, he could water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After 3 weeks, other executives started to talk about their seeds, and how the plants were beginning to sprout. Johnes kept checking the seed but nothing grew. 6 weeks later others were talking about their plants, Johnes didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. As time flew, he knew he had killed the seed. Everyone else had plants and trees.
Johnes didn't say anything to his colleagues, but he kept watering and fertilizing the soil hoping the seed would grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Johnes told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot, but she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Johnes felt sick in the stomach and knew it was going to be an embarrassing moment in his life, but he knew his wife was right, so he took his pot to the boardroom. On arrival, he was shocked at the variety of plants grown by colleagues. The moment he put his empty pot on the floor, his colleagues busted in laughter, and a few felt sorry for him.
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed and greeted the room, then said, "My, what great plants and so today one of you will be appointed as the next CEO" All of a sudden he noticed Johnes who was trying to hide in the back. He ordered Johnes to come to the front.
Johnes was terrified, he thought, "The CEO knows I am a failure, maybe he will have me fired." The CEO asked him what had happened to his seed but told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Johnes, looked at him, and announced, "Behold your next CEO is Johnes."
Johnes couldn't believe it, his colleagues were shocked. The CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone a seed, you were to plant it, water and bring it back, but I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead. All of you except Johnes, brought trees, when you found out the seed wouldn't grow, you substituted another seed. Johnes was the only one with courage and honesty who got me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the next CEO.
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust, if you plant hard work you will reap success. So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later. Whatever you give to life, life gives you back."
He said to them, "It's time for me to choose the next CEO of the company, but I am going to give you one special seed which you will plant, water it and bring it back after a year with what has grown from the seed, then I will judge the plant and then choose who will be the next CEO"
One man, named Johnes was there, and he like others received the seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get the pot and compost and they planted the seed. Every day, he could water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After 3 weeks, other executives started to talk about their seeds, and how the plants were beginning to sprout. Johnes kept checking the seed but nothing grew. 6 weeks later others were talking about their plants, Johnes didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. As time flew, he knew he had killed the seed. Everyone else had plants and trees.
Johnes didn't say anything to his colleagues, but he kept watering and fertilizing the soil hoping the seed would grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Johnes told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot, but she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Johnes felt sick in the stomach and knew it was going to be an embarrassing moment in his life, but he knew his wife was right, so he took his pot to the boardroom. On arrival, he was shocked at the variety of plants grown by colleagues. The moment he put his empty pot on the floor, his colleagues busted in laughter, and a few felt sorry for him.
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed and greeted the room, then said, "My, what great plants and so today one of you will be appointed as the next CEO" All of a sudden he noticed Johnes who was trying to hide in the back. He ordered Johnes to come to the front.
Johnes was terrified, he thought, "The CEO knows I am a failure, maybe he will have me fired." The CEO asked him what had happened to his seed but told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Johnes, looked at him, and announced, "Behold your next CEO is Johnes."
Johnes couldn't believe it, his colleagues were shocked. The CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone a seed, you were to plant it, water and bring it back, but I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead. All of you except Johnes, brought trees, when you found out the seed wouldn't grow, you substituted another seed. Johnes was the only one with courage and honesty who got me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the next CEO.
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust, if you plant hard work you will reap success. So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later. Whatever you give to life, life gives you back."
A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor for his business, instead of choosing one of the directors or his children, he decided to call all the young directors together.
He said to them, "It's time for me to choose the next CEO of the company, but I am going to give you one special seed which you will plant, water it and bring it back after a year with what has grown from the seed, then I will judge the plant and then choose who will be the next CEO"
One man, named Johnes was there, and he like others received the seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get the pot and compost and they planted the seed. Every day, he could water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After 3 weeks, other executives started to talk about their seeds, and how the plants were beginning to sprout. Johnes kept checking the seed but nothing grew. 6 weeks later others were talking about their plants, Johnes didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. As time flew, he knew he had killed the seed. Everyone else had plants and trees.
Johnes didn't say anything to his colleagues, but he kept watering and fertilizing the soil hoping the seed would grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Johnes told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot, but she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Johnes felt sick in the stomach and knew it was going to be an embarrassing moment in his life, but he knew his wife was right, so he took his pot to the boardroom. On arrival, he was shocked at the variety of plants grown by colleagues. The moment he put his empty pot on the floor, his colleagues busted in laughter, and a few felt sorry for him.
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed and greeted the room, then said, "My, what great plants and so today one of you will be appointed as the next CEO" All of a sudden he noticed Johnes who was trying to hide in the back. He ordered Johnes to come to the front.
Johnes was terrified, he thought, "The CEO knows I am a failure, maybe he will have me fired." The CEO asked him what had happened to his seed but told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Johnes, looked at him, and announced, "Behold your next CEO is Johnes."
Johnes couldn't believe it, his colleagues were shocked. The CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone a seed, you were to plant it, water and bring it back, but I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead. All of you except Johnes, brought trees, when you found out the seed wouldn't grow, you substituted another seed. Johnes was the only one with courage and honesty who got me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the next CEO.
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust, if you plant hard work you will reap success. So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later. Whatever you give to life, life gives you back."
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