A&0 20th Anniversary - What Does Our Motto Mean?
/By Ted Bartelt, PE
If you know Alpha & Omega Group, you have most likely heard our motto – “Begin with the End in Mind.”
If this phrase sounds familiar, it is because the phrase was first coined by Stephen Covey as the second habit of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” published in 1988. I was first introduced to Covey’s 7 habits in the late 1980s in my profession. As an engineer and a problem solver, “begin with the end in mind” fits my nature and the ability to see the end solution to the problem at hand.
This principal sounds simple; however, it takes good communication to determine what the end result should be. To be able to solve a problem for a client, you must first understand your client’s needs. As discussions develop with a client for a particular project, a picture begins to form. Questions help paint the picture - Why is this project being built? What problem is it solving? How will it be used by the public or customer? How will it impact the community? What materials will be used to build it? What will be the expected service life of the project? What is the budget for the project? How long will it take to build the project? How will construction impact the community? These questions and other inquiries shape the picture so that the End is clear and well-defined for you and the client.
The motto also fits well with the name of this company and its reference to God. God reveals himself in Revelation 22:13 - “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”. As the creator of all things, God showed us this principle through God’s word. The Bible was written over a 1500-year period, showing God’s plan of love and redemption through his son Jesus Christ. All the prophesies of the Old Testament point to the Lamb of God who would come, live, and die to save us from our sin. The End that God has revealed to us is a new heaven and a new earth and the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus. Our ultimate goal, in everything we do, begins with the End - eternity - in mind!
