RF-SMART Blog

Meet RF-SMART CEO Michael: Part Two

Written by Holli Anderson | February 04, 2014

Almost a year after becoming the CEO at ICS, Inc., the founders of RF-SMART, we sat down with Michael Morales to learn more about him. This is the second segment of our interview with Michael.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?

MM: Being part of a team that started a church is my greatest accomplishment.  A group of us had a vision that Jacksonville needed a different kind of church and we set about to launch a new organization.  My wife Zoie and I were a vital part of that founding team and today Access Church has positively affected the lives of hundreds of people.

How do you start and end your day?

MM: When I am in Jacksonville, I am fortunate to be able to drive my two oldest children to school every morning.  I then get into the office at 8am. I spend some time praying before I start my workday and then prioritize the most important things that I want to accomplish.

To close my day, I look at tomorrow’s schedule and see what preparation I need to perform.  I update my To Do list and then head out the door, usually at 6:15pm.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

MM: My wife and I adopted our youngest son from China.

What’s your favorite RF-SMART Performance Principle?

MM: I love our Performance Principle about Discipline.  Be disciplined in making individual and organizational decisions.  Question – What are you saying “no” to?

I love this Performance Principle because when I study successful people and successful organizations, I always hear the word discipline.  Successful people have the discipline to get the most important things done, follow through on what they say they are going to do, and plan where they want to go.  Successful organizations have the discipline to provide products and services to the market that they can be proud of and that they know will delight customers.  These companies also have the discipline to say no to opportunities that aren’t a great fit for the organization or distract them from their main objectives.

Can you give us an example of when you were recently a part of putting one of the Performance Principles into action?

MM: I try to model the Performance Principle of discipline when I meet with one of my direct reports (Aaron Ellinger).  We always start by asking the question “What are your big rocks for the week?”  I am trying to instill the discipline that we focus on the most important things first.  “What are the two or three things that have to be accomplished this week?”

From a cultural level, what do you want our customers to know the most about RF-SMART?

MM: I want you to know that we are a company that strives to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.  We want to treat you well.  Sometimes we will make mistakes, but my hope is that we will apologize and fix it as quickly as possible.  We work hard to make RF-SMART a fantastic place to work and you will experience the benefits of that work because whoever you interact with at RF-SMART should be a pleasure to work with and execute the task with utmost excellence.

Check out Part 1 to learn more about Michael Morales