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 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, "Behold 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 asked.

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!"

Be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.