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VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD! Where A.I. is a four-letter word.
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Frank F Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 4421 Location: Park City, Utah
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:47 am Post subject: The Seed! Great career advice. |
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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!"
* 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, you will reap a harvest
* So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.
"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"
It's Spring! What are you planting? Are your seeds ready for Fall, Winter, next year?
Good harvesting, my fellow VO-BB'rs.
Toodles
F2 _________________ Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com |
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Audiogal King's Row
Joined: 22 Aug 2005 Posts: 1083 Location: Shreveport, LA
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting this, Frank. _________________ Mary |
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Lizden A Zillion
Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Posts: 8856 Location: The dark recesses of my mind
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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Love this, Frank!...and that's the truth!
Thanks! _________________ Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com |
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Eric_Hu Guest
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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I planted tomato seeds and got.....tomatoes!
Eric >starting to wonder if that was supposed to happen |
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roger King's Row
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 1064 Location: Central Kentucky
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Frank,
The only thing that could improve that story would be you narrating it.
Thanks for letting us in on this reality of life.
-roger _________________ Roger Tremaine
www.MyFavoriteVoice.com
http://rogertremaine.voices.com/
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. AESOP (The Lion and the Mouse) |
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Moe Egan 4 Large
Joined: 11 Sep 2006 Posts: 4337 Location: Live Free or Die
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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What a lovely story! Thanks Frank. _________________ Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~ |
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Frank F Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 4421 Location: Park City, Utah
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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I posted this story elsewhere and received a few interesting comments. One such post stated:
Quote: | "...I would have fired Jim. He was giving an executive task and instead of owning up to his superiors that things catastrophically failed, he just kept it quiet and kept throwing precious time and resources at the failure." |
How many of you thought the same?
I just thought you might like to read my follow-up (O.K., maybe you don't want to read it, but here it is anyway):
Quote: | (Name withheld) that is why you are not the CEO. Present or future.
Remember the parable has the current CEO giving instructions which stated: "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."
The current CEO did not say, "Give me progress updates".
As the head of my own company I often give assignments to those who work with our company. I will ask them to do something and to not report to me until I ask.
Why? Good question. I already know the outcome or solution and I want to see how well some people follow directions. I do not want the person to "think" or to be creative, I just want them to follow the directions I have given.
Is this person a "team" player or does this person wish to be a "star"?
I ask this question of everyone, not (Name withheld) specifically: What "seed" did you plant today?
Makes one think a little bit about the actions and communication with others we have everyday, does it not? |
Toodles
F2 _________________ Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com |
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RD Levine Backstage Pass
Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 416 Location: Dutchess County NY 70 miles North of NY City
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Chrissy Guest
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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I read these sentences over:
"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"
The way I see it The Wife should have been made CEO. The end. |
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RD Levine Backstage Pass
Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 416 Location: Dutchess County NY 70 miles North of NY City
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Tony Neptune Contributor
Joined: 03 Feb 2008 Posts: 36 Location: In a world...
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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I love these inspirational stories. Thanks Frank _________________ Tony |
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Bailey 4 Large
Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 4336 Location: Lake San Marcos... north of Connie, northwest of the Best.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:44 am Post subject: |
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Courage and honesty will always win over deception.
_________________ "Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
VO-BB Member #00044 .gif" alt="W00T" border="0" />
AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo." |
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bobsouer Frequent Flyer
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 9882 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 3:51 am Post subject: |
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Frank,
Thanks for the story. _________________ Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
ISDN, Source Connect, phone patch |
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Don G. King's Row
Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 6:26 am Post subject: |
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Great story, thanks. When I read it, I gave the other candidates a little more credit than they deserved. I figured the boss gave out only one bad seed and wanted to see how the recipient would handle it.
Now you can see why I'm only the CEO of me. |
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JBarrett M&M
Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 2043 Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 9:50 am Post subject: |
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Great story, Frank. Thanks for sharing it! _________________ Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/ |
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