John Barnes
Grant Thornton
Education: Master’s degree in business administration, University of Maryland; bachelor’s degree in accounting and international business, Penn State University
What Guides My Decision-Making: Do the right thing.
Historic Figure Who Inspires Me: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nick Saban, David Novak and Doug Conant
Whom I Would Call for Advice: If I could, my grandfather, who was successful and had his own business but never went to college. I wish I was able to know him as an adult, because I am sure he would have had some great business advice.
Most Important Leadership Quality: Perseverance
The Advice I’d Give Someone New: Focus on what you can learn and not how much you work.
What I’d Tell 16-Year-Old Me: Focus on relationships. In the end, they are what matter. And that thing called a computer — learn as much as you can about that and how to leverage it to make your life easier — it’s going to be everywhere in the future.