"Establish standing stones in your life."

In the Old Testament, at the time when the people of Israel were traveling through the desert, many important events took place. When they experienced an event that marked their lives in some important way they would erect stones to mark that spot as a reminder of what took place there. If you watched the film Schindler’s list, at the end of the film, the survivors of the Holocaust and their descendents of the survivors filed past piled Oskar Schindler’s tomb. As they walked by each person placed a stone on top of his tomb. Each stone represented a person that was alive that day because of what Oskar Schindler had done several decades before. Those stones are called standing stones.

Perhaps you’ve heard the question “what does that stand for?” That term refers to standing stones. 

When I speak of having standing stones in your life, I am talking about guiding principles that are non negotiable. These are the principles that we choose not to violate regardless of the cost or reward.

The late Edgar Prince, founder of the Prince Corporation now part of Johnson Controls is a man that lived his life by standing stones. I had the honor of knowing Ed. I leased office space in one of his buildings in downtown Holland and when I would see Ed he always had a few minutes to chat.

After Ed passed away his son-in-law Denny Ellens told me a story about when Ed first started Prince Machine.

The company received a large order for die cast machines from one of the big three auto manufacturers. It was one of the largest if not the largest order they had ever received.

When the purchasing person came to the office to sign the contract he pulled out a big cigar and started to light it. Ed stopped him and him he couldn’t smoke in the office. 

The man told Ed that anytime he signed a contact this big he always smoked a cigar. Ed invited him to smoke it outside. The man became very angry and reminded Ed he had the power to take the contract back.

Now I don’t now about you but at this point most people would have reverted back to the customer is always right rule and gotten the guy an ashtray. Not Ed. He told the man that the company had a no smoking policy and that rule applied to him too which made him all the angrier.

Ed explained to the man that when Prince Machine was formed the original handful of people, salaried and hourly got together and set down some rules that were not negotiable.

An example would be:

Never work on Sunday,

No smoking in the building.

Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.

Don’t curse or disrespect others.

Always do the best job for the customer.

Always keep your word.

Under promise and over deliver.

Ed told the man “If I let you smoke in here none of those guys is ever going to trust my word again. If they don’t trust me to be honest with them why should they be honest with me or the customer?

Then the entire process breaks down and the machines Prince produces for the customer won’t be the quality they are today.

Ed refused to go back on his word even if it meant losing the contract.

The guy signed the contract and left without smoking the cigar. He later sent Ed a letter of apology.

Like Ed Prince in this example, I encourage you to establish standing stones in your lives and live by guiding principles that are not negotiable.