Dallas resident Randall “Randy” Blum has been president and CEO of Randall Blum Presentation Workshops, a company that assists Fortune 500 companies to improve presentation skills by their senior management. In this role, Randall Blum consults with organizational leaders to provide insights and skill training through interactive workshops and seminars.
Mr. Blum provides CEOs, Board of Directors and Senior Managers the training and personal coaching skills to become outstanding speakers and presenters in their role as leaders of Fortune 500 companies. His accomplishments include a comprehensive Management Presentation Strategic Plan developed for each significant leader involved in his workshops. In addition, he has become a sought-after presentation expert throughout the Middle East, especially throughout the UAB (United Arab Emirates).
Outside his role as a presentation consultant, Randy enjoys reading, professional sports, and volunteering with a variety of national organizations. Some of the organizations he is involved in are the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, and The Animal Rescue League.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Begins with travel to meet with a corporate CEO or board Of directors at various corporations in the US. Once there, I attend a meeting where we strategize on various issues facing the corporation or leaders. The day ends in meetings with 10 to 20 employees of the company to check their “temperature” related to various policies and events within their work area.
How do you bring ideas to life?
It always begins with a situation, challenge, or problem that has been identified. Then problem-solving begins by looking at the issue from a variety of angles. Often, research is conducted via interviews with experts with experience related to the issue. From all of this, ideas simply show up as possible solutions of which one or more have a high probability of success.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am very interested in the long-term ramifications of AI. Will it be utilized more positively or negatively? How will our business lives change as a result of this amazing technology? Will it end up being a positive for the great majority of careers?
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Every evening, whether at home or in a hotel somewhere, I make a checklist in priority order of tasks that must be accomplished the next day. Then, when the next day arrives, I ruthlessly complete tasks in the order of priority. At the end of the day, any tasks that are unable to be completed are listed on the ”to-do” list for the next day. It would be impossible for me to be productive without this daily roadmap.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would strongly recommend to myself that I learn a variety of languages as soon as possible. My travels and consulting have proven to me that rewards come from being able to communicate with senior managers in their chosen language rather than using an interpreter.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
During a walk, while flying, driving, or sleeping, you should have a notepad or recorder nearby and be prepared to use it. Our brain is an amazing provider of ideas and reminders, but we have to have to be prepared to capture these thoughts when they occur. Too often, we forget great ideas because we didn’t write them down right away.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
First of all, this happens to me very seldom because a full schedule does allow ‘downtime’ to ponder my workload. But on the rare occasions that this happens, the daily to-do list as described above is a great reminder of the next thing to get done.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
You absolutely have to love talking to people of all ages. The amount of knowledge that exists in the universe is amazing and can many times only be found by communicating with others. In addition, the business opportunities that show up are in direct proportion to the number of people (networking) that I have met. You just can’t stop introducing yourself and having conversations. This is especially true of young people who have so many older, intelligent people to find and discover.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Early on I was quick to pre-judge the quality and intelligence of other people. I learned so many times that my first assessment was not accurate and more time with a person gives you a much better perspective of who they are and what talents they bring. The famous line from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been a motto of mine since those early days: “You can’t really know another person until you walk in their shoes.” No words were every
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
My business ideas are not generic for general use. They are all based on actual situation, challenges, or problems.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Any of the collaboration software available on the market (Axero OnBoard, Zoho) are extremely helpful when working with a variety of professionals on a topic of issue. It is also very efficient and maintains a record of who offered what idea on any given topic that you are working on.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?/
I bought a personal recorder that fit in your pocket that can be easily carried to and utilized in meetings to capture everyone’s comments and is also amazingly helpful while driving/flying to record thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. I can’t believe how I was able to work without it.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Conspiracy Of Fools By Kurt Eichenwald is a book I’ve read multiple times—probably once every year. It’s the story of the Enron tragedy and provides amazing insight into how power can implode a career. It also reinforces a variety of processes needed to ensure a corporation is being managed ethically and within corporate values.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
So many. Currently I’m rewatching Succession, which focuses on leadership, corporate governance, and individual responsibility. The characters are outstanding because they are both brilliant and flawed, which is exactly the way all of us are. I recommend this series to anyone who wants to view corporate intrigue from the inside.
Key learnings
- Never stop growing, learning, developing as a professional. Too often people question why their career has stopped evolving, when in fact, it is usually the person that has stopped growing or seeking growth.
- Continuous growth comes from staying curious, learning from others, building relationships, and remaining open to new perspectives.
- Clear priorities, consistent organization, and capturing ideas as they arise help turn challenges into practical opportunities.