The Seed - CEO management story/lesson

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. '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!'

Moral:- (As you Sow, you shall Reap)
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.

How to get happiness? Story Solution

This story is about a beautiful, expensively dressed lady who complained to her psychiatrist that she felt that her whole life was empty, it had no meaning.
So, the lady went to visit a counselor to seek out happiness.


The counselor called over the old lady who cleaned the office floors.
The counselor then said to the rich lady “I’m going to ask Mary here to tell you how she found happiness. All I want you to do is listen to her."
So the old lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story:
"Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later
my only son was killed by a car.
I had nobody... I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life.
Then one evening a little kitten followed me home from work.
Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided to let the kitten in. I got it some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean.
Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and for the first time in months, I smiled.
Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile, maybe doing something for people could make me happy.
So the next day I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbor who was sick in bed.
Every day I tried to do something nice for someone.
It made me so happy to see them happy.
Today, I don't know of anybody who sleeps and eats better than I do.
I've found happiness, by giving it to others."
When she heard that the rich lady cried.
She had everything that money could buy, but
she had lost the things which money cannot buy.
Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.
You can make your parents happy by making them comfortable with your attitude and the divine love.  You even can give surprise gifts, take them out once in couple days/month, so on so on.,
You can make your friends happy by cracking jokes, sharing the happiness by giving a good pat on their shoulders, giving and helping 'em with nice advises.
You may cheer-up your employees by motivation to do the best to the themselves and organization's growth.
Everything is in understanding things.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.