Rick Ornelas Of I Spark Change: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Maintain your Vision: You are the leader for a reason. You have a business, serve others in some capacity, and believe your business can be successful with your heart and soul. This all speaks to your vision of growth and future. You can do everything possible to convey this vision to others but always understand that they will never see it exactly the same way you do. It’s your baby, and you are responsible for its well-being at all costs.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Ornelas.
Rick Ornelas is a bestselling author, business strategist, professional coach, and founder of I Spark Change. He teaches entrepreneurs the modern leadership skills and strategies to expand their social impact and spread positive change around the world.
He’s trained over ten-thousand hours in organizational strategy, communication, interpersonal relationships, leadership, and human behavior. His proven techniques help others level up in all areas while expanding social impact globally.
His best-selling book 12 Hours of Heaven; Lessons for a Better World and I Spark Change movement have inspired and connected people from all over the world.
Rick has been featured as an expert in multiple media outlets, including national/international television and radio. He’s a regular writer for Lifehack, a guest contributor for various websites, and has inspired listeners across the globe as a guest on over 50 podcasts!
His next book, 12 Hours of Heaven; Time on Earth, is in the works.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Growing up in a middle-class family as the youngest of five and only boy is where it all started for me. It was here that I learned the valuable lessons that would carry me through life, the value of faith, family, and love. During my formative years, I did my best to embody those values in my endeavors and always sought to help others. I spent my early career in the leadership of healthcare. Initially with large Fortune 500 companies in marketing, training, and corporate development. Later, with smaller companies focusing on growth and improvement. Before last year, I was a business coach in the medical sector, working with doctors of all types to develop their practices.
For the past few years, I continued to realize what had been missing from my life was working for a higher purpose and having a more significant social impact. In April of 2020, I decided to finally write the book that had been in my head for almost twenty years, 12 Hours of Heaven; Lessons for a Better World. I’m thrilled I did because it helped solidify many of the lessons I’ve learned in life, such as living with happiness and joy.
I realized I could have a much more significant impact reaching far beyond my immediate surroundings by creating I Spark Change in my writing journey.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
One shareable tale that comes to mind is when I was very young and filling in as a handyman for an apartment building my mom managed near Hollywood. One of her tenants was a famous young actress who I was anxious to meet. Then, one day, my mom asked me to install a new shower head in one of the apartments upstairs. Much to my surprise, it was the apartment of the young actress. I was so nervous that I didn’t exactly complete the work correctly. My mom ended up calling a real plumber after the shower head fell on the girl when she turned the water on to take a shower after I left. That was the last repair job of my career.
I learned two valuable lessons from the experience. First, take the time to study a craft before assuming you can do it. Throughout my career, I’ve worked in many areas. Second, I always take the time to get comfortable before I dive into something new.
Second, get help from an expert when needed. This is easier than ever today as the resources to find help are endless.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Many individuals have helped me throughout the years, but none more than my business partner, Arjay. He is a pillar of support in all that I do. When I started my business, he joined me to clarify the vision and build a solid foundation for clients. Over the years, he has been the best sounding board I could have ever asked for. He helps bring clarity to my creative ideas by making them more tangible.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
I Spark Change began out of necessity. In mid-2020, when the world was in crisis, I was suffering myself. I had just been laid off and was anxious and hopeless, not knowing what the future held. So I decided to stop being a volunteer victim and looked for ways to help others far less fortunate than I was. This led me to write a blog article about using the pandemic as an opportunity to be grateful for all that I had and focus on ways to impact others positively.
My first idea was to start writing a book that had been swirling around in my head for nearly twenty years. I decided that the time to act was now, so I began writing what would soon become 12 Hours of Heaven: Lessons for a Better World. I started my writing journey in April 2020, intending to give others hope and inspiration in a time of need.
I started writing very methodically, committing to 500–1000 words per day, and figured I would finish the book in about six months. After a couple of months, all of this changed when someone higher up had bigger plans for me. As I wrote, I went through a period of intense spiritual connection where I had dreams and visions of what the future could become if I did far more than only write a book. It was then that I felt called to create a community to connect and empower those who want to make the world a better place but don’t know where to turn or how to get there. This calling was the birth of the I Spark Change movement. So this was when I decided to devote my life to spreading positive Change and elevating social impact.
At first, it was just an idea that I couldn’t get out of my head. This idea quickly took over my life for the next couple of months. My writing flourished as I started to write over 2000 words in a couple of hours. This compounded the completion of 12 Hours of Heaven in under three months. I was so focused on the writing process that I didn’t share the transformation inside my head, heart, and soul with anyone. Maybe It felt too private and special to dilute by telling others, or I was afraid of what they would think. Either way, I held it all in until I completed writing the book. Once I finished the writing portion of the journey, I felt this incredible urge to share my experience with anyone I could. I recorded a short video of me telling this story and posted it on Facebook for the world to see. Others viewed it thousands of times, and the support was highly positive. This support gave me the courage to go from idea to reality and officially launch I Spark Change as a business and movement. We now highlight the good deeds done in the world and encourage others to do the same.
Our purpose is to empower and connect humanity to spread positive Change and elevate social impact. Our vision is to connect and impact 1 Billion people worldwide in the next five years.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Early in our business life, I felt we needed to hire a marketing company to grow our business but didn’t have the revenue to support the decision. My team was worried about my decision and felt we could get into unneeded debt. In our meeting to discuss it, I confidently said, “We will make it work.” And then generated the needed revenue to cover the investment.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
No, because I decided that this would be my purpose in life until I die. I made that commitment to myself and God, so there was no going back on it no matter what.
Early on, I received less than positive feedback from some individuals close to me to weren’t very supportive of my new venture. At first, this was a blow to the heart. I instantly became saddened that those I loved could not see my vision or didn’t care. It got me down for a short time until I received a boost from my friend and mentor, Danny. I shared what had happened with him, and he gave me some great advice. He first asked me if I was doing what I felt I was called to do. I responded with an enthusiastic yes! He then said that If I was doing the work I was called to do and living with purpose, then any negative response of others didn’t matter. He explained that it didn’t matter because I wasn’t doing everything for the individuals who didn’t care. I was doing it for all the people I would positively impact and the lives I would change for the better. He finished by saying that even if I worked for years and years and only positively impacted one life, it would all be worth it in the end.
His wisdom and guidance gave me a new resolve to continue on and not worry about the opinions of others. This lesson continues to fuel me regularly. Trust me. We have had many challenges in the past year and a half, getting things rolling. Whether having to rebuild our website, start a new social media profile from scratch, or train a new intern, we continue to move forward a little at a time. It is never really easy, and we know that we have a long way to go, but we take it one day and a time. And when I get down because things haven’t gone as planned, I pause and remember Danny’s great advice.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
The trick is to consistently exemplify the most important trait of a leader in any situation, confidence. Earlier I shared the story of engaging a marketing company despite a lack of resources at the time. I could have led my team in alternative ways to reduce our expenses or take a smaller approach. What I decided is not as important as how I decided. The common theme is making a quick decision and sticking with it until the end.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
It’s been my experience that showing them the value of their work concerning goals and the mission goes a long way. The old way of top-down militaristic style leadership is dead. It is far more effective in today’s environment to figure out your team’s goals and show how they relate to what you are working on in the business. This lets your team know that you value them, not just their work.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
Quickly and honestly, period. Waffling leaves doubt in people’s minds, and they want answers. A few years back, I was a partner in some healthcare laboratories. We were in the process of acquiring a new lab, and the staff all feared their jobs. The first thing I did was meet with every team member one on one to explain how we would help them improve and grow. They appreciated the transparency and cooperated for success.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
The real question is, how can they not?
It’s the leader’s job to have a vision for the business and communicate this to the team effectively. When you are working on growing a business, the future will always be unpredictable to some degree. I’d even say that the more growth you are after, the more unpredictability there will be. The trick is always to be looking multiple steps into the future, so you are never caught with your pants down. It is not a perfect science, but it is better than constantly being in a state of unpreparedness.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Stay true to your purpose and mission, always. You know which way you have to go by always following its direction. Your purpose is your north star and guiding light to gauge any of your decisions. When contemplating whether to take on a partnership for ISC, I ask myself a few questions. 1) Is this in alignment with our purpose? 2) Does this decision move us along in our mission? 3) Will making this decision help or hurt us accomplish our goals.
If the answer to any of these questions is no, it is not the direction to take.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” Many people default to “survival mode” in times of crisis and think about preservation only. This is a big mistake. When the pandemic hit, I advised all my business coaching clients to look for ways to grow. They all did just that, and many of them had record years in 2020.
Another big one is forgetting that your people come first. Your team is the most valuable asset in your business. When times get tough, I have seen companies look for quick ways to save money through things such as layoffs. This is very short-sighted and leads to long-term failure.
A third mistake is one that can relate to components of the first two. When times get tough, many businesses abandon doing the things that helped them achieve success in the first place. Things such as staff meetings, training, and community outreach all play a role in social impact and success. Make these a regular part of business, and don’t deviate in good times and in bad, and you’ll reap the rewards.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
There are a thousand things that go into running a business, but the reality is that most of them are not as important as you think. Something as simple as reading emails may seem benign until you realize that you are spending 3hours a day buried in your inbox.
The best advice is to focus on your most valuable priorities or MVPs. These are the things that will move the success needle the most and grow your business. You will have to figure out what these are for your business. For us, they are working directly with our clients, making connections with new potential clients, and looking for strategic partnerships to grow.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
1) Be Grateful: It’s easy to focus on everything going wrong when times get tough. Being like Eeyore and living as if things are terrible will only attract more of what you don’t want. By practicing gratitude for anything in your life, you refocus on the positive and gain abundance. This is something I had to learn the hard way. I was selfish and focused on myself when I was young, always wanting more. My actions led to short-lived happiness in things that didn’t matter. Being grateful for anything from just waking up to a smile from a stranger shows you the true value of life.
2) Stay Confident and Humble: Confidence is the number one trait that will attract others and keep them believing in you and your business. It’s vital to your leadership that you temper this confidence with humility. This does not mean that you have to lessen your approach or goals. It means that you have to show others that you believe in what you can accomplish and will lead them towards your goals. The Hebrew word for humility is Anavah which means ‘to occupy your God-given space in the world.’ When you lead others in the space you believe is yours, they will follow in any situation; just ask Moses.
3) Always Practice with Purpose: Your business’s purpose is the guiding principle that directs your actions and allows you to keep confident when times are difficult. When you practice with purpose, you stay focused on all the beautiful things you want to accomplish in the world and support others, not yourself. When I was running the healthcare company, we started to have significant growth and began focusing on the dollars more than purpose and people. This gave us short-lived success until the business crumbled before our eyes shortly after that due to our greed. It taught me a valuable lesson that I have lived by in business and life to this day.
4) Make Swift Decisions: Isn’t it true that challenges always seem to come at the worst possible time? Your business is sailing right along, and then, bam! A rogue wave comes over the top of the boat. The sailing analogy is perfect because you don’t have time to create a committee and discuss options or your ship may sink in this situation. A swift decision is your friend as it will get you out from underwater quickly and safely. It’s the same in business as the decision will allow you to keep your business afloat while you figure out options to move forward.
5) Maintain your Vision: You are the leader for a reason. You have a business, serve others in some capacity, and believe your business can be successful with your heart and soul. This all speaks to your vision of growth and future. You can do everything possible to convey this vision to others but always understand that they will never see it exactly the same way you do. It’s your baby, and you are responsible for its well-being at all costs.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” This is something I’ve frequently had to learn the hard way. Early in my career, I always got by through intelligence, grit, and determination. If things didn’t go well, I was able to “just wing it.” It wasn’t until recently that I realized if I just planned things out a little better, it could lead to phenomenal results. I continue to work on this every day as old habits die hard. Fortunately, I have three daughters that have heard this too many times, thinking it was for their benefit. The older I get, the more I need to remind myself.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Sign up to join I Spark Change at www.isparkchange.com. We won’t spam you; I promise. You will be notified about our community’s growth, new blog articles, events, and future books.
Join our growing Facebook community https://www.facebook.com/isparkchange. More and more people who want to spread positive change join each day!
Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_spark_change/ for immediate: inspiration, motivation, and spirituality. You’ll be very glad you did.
Puzzle- the future social media site http://puzzme.com/. You can register to be one of the first members when the site goes live.
YouTube for greater insight into the driving forces behind I Spark Change.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxszC0wtIG4XxUOiFrHUqQ
https://12hoursofheaven.com/ to find out about upcoming books and information on the release of 12 Hours of Heaven; Time on Earth.
Amazon- to order a copy of 12 Hours of Heaven: Lessons for a Better World https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KP8NDT4
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Rick Ornelas Of I Spark Change: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
