Randy Swaim

The question that started everything.

Growing up, surrounded by the model airplanes I’d built and eagerly anticipating the next episode of 12 o’clock High, I had two goals: to fly the F4 Phantom in the Air Force and to fly Learjets. But life threw roadblocks in the way. By the time I graduated high school, feeling down and directionless, my dream was nothing more than a silly childhood fantasy.

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That is until a five-minute conversation with my uncle changed everything. “What do you want to do now?” he asked me. Like the world was my oyster. Like I could achieve anything I wanted to. It was the first time anyone had given me the gift of their belief. At that moment, I realized that if someone else could believe in me, then I could believe in myself. And if I could do that, anything was possible. 

With dreams like that, anything was possible

Over the next few years, I met many people who, like my uncle, were truly invested in me and were willing to walk with me through my successes and failures. 

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... the flight instructor who encouraged me to take control of the plane, even though I had not paid for a lesson...

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...the Sergeant who pulled out all the stops to help me graduate in just three and a half years, before my 25th birthday, so I wouldn't lose my U.S. Air Force commission...

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...the Major who arranged a second physical for me after I failed my first, so I'd qualify for flight training and the ROTC scholarship I needed to get through college...

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...the professor who graded my final paper in the last hour before the graduation deadline, so I could take up my commission. I still remember what he said when I explained that I needed to be graded within the next 60 minutes, just before midnight, to meet the submission deadline required to obtain my degree. In that moment my entire future was in his hands. "Sure,” he told me. “If you have dreams like that, you deserve to be graded in time. I will give you a “C.”

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For three-and-a-half years at college, I averaged 20 credit hours, every single semester. I went to every summer session. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. But all these people were committing to me. They came alongside me in ways I didn't know I needed, not because they had to but as a posture of the heart. So I committed my whole self to them in return.

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From that moment on, I made it my mission to help others see what's possible for themselves.

Turning a problem site to the company showcase

Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, I earned my wings in 1980 and was honored as the Outstanding Graduate from F-4E “Phantom II” Qualification Training at George AFB, CA. I qualified as an F-4 Instructor while assigned to the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing and later became a Learjet pilot for Flight International – both dreams achieved!

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I didn't know it at the time, but this period was pivotal in developing my theory of masterful leadership – one that is relational, not positional; one that is situational, not scripted; and one that is insatiably curious about human potential.

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The first time I articulated this was in 1989, as a team was falling apart. The manager of Flight International’s Griffiss AFB kept a journal where he documented everything that he didn't like: incidents, dates, and names. Somebody found the journal and team synergy disappeared overnight. The Director of Air Force programs called me and asked what I thought had gone wrong.

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"You have to realize that our office space is our family living room," I said. "People there have to be able to say anything they want about the company, airplanes, strategies,  missions, anything, and be confident it will not come back to bite them. People need a safe space to vent, and I'd rather they do that in our office space than at 35,000 feet where safety is paramount."

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"The second reason is critical. If I'm going to lead these people, I have to know what they're really thinking. That doesn't mean I can always help but I have to be willing to know." 

 

As a result of this conversation, Flight International asked me to accept the position of Contract Representative & Site Manager for Griffiss AFB, where I was lauded for “turning a problem site into the showcase of the company in minimum time”.

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Empowering the freedom to potential

Years and many stories later, I was asked to speak to a young man who was about to join the Marines. And I told him before you leave, there's one question you have to ask yourself:

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Can I live the last 30 seconds of my life with no apologies and no regrets?

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Whether you work a safe job in business or put your life on the line every day, you have to be able to answer that question. Because if you can't, it's going to hold you back from the success that you could achieve. 

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And that's really what my work is all about. Asking the right questions that make a difference in people's lives – not to call attention to myself, but so they can live their final moments with no apologies and no regrets.

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That's my passion.

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Which brings me to you.

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Because YOUR dreams matter. 

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And it's my big, hairy, audacious goal to help you mold and achieve them. To unlock your potential. To help you release the potential of others. To help you leave the legacy of a life well-lived.

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Ready to get started? 

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