By Madison Rohn, Lead Editor
Title photo retrieved from McKendree online photo albums
Major General John Bartrum spent last Thursday speaking to students as a part of the Hett’s annual Lanter Lecture Series. The Lanter Lecture Series gives McKendree students a chance to hear insight from influential business leaders. As the Mobilization Assistant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force and Space Force1, Major General Bartrum is certainly influential.
In addition to his military service, Major General Bartrum is the founder and CEO of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC, which is a strategic advising and consulting solutions firm2. He also served as an Associate Director of the National Institute of Health as its Budget Director for its over $30 billion budget2, and he was awarded in 2021 for his leadership in the government’s COVID response mission1.
Maj. Gen. Bartrum earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from McKendree in 19901. So, the campus was honored to have him return and share his advice with students. Hosted by the School of Business and Lambda Pi Eta, Bartrum spoke with students throughout the day, giving them advice and a chance to network.
The day started with speed networking in the Hett, where students had the chance to talk to local business leaders over coffee and donuts. Afterwards, Maj. Gen. Bartrum spoke to business and communication classes throughout the rest of the morning. He spoke about his experience at McKendree, his time in the military, and his advice for problem-solving and working in business.
When he spoke with the 11 A.M. business and communication classes, Maj. Gen. Bartrum said that the most valuable lesson he has learned throughout life is “how to think.” He mentioned that his time attending McKendree “taught me how to be a critical thinker.” He said that because of the small class sizes, “there was nowhere to hide,” so he was forced to have to think critically in order to participate in discussions.
In the evening, Major General Bartrum spoke again at the Hett and answered questions from communication professor Dr. Frank and communication major Elma Oijens Sjoelin, including questions submitted by students.
One of the questions he was asked was about how his military experience impacted how he operates in the business world. To this, Bartrum responded, “You realize you have to take care of everybody. … Everybody on the team is important.”
Major General Bartrum also focused on problem solving and how to deal with crises. When discussing problem solving, Bartrum likes to say, “Don’t tell me how to suck the egg, just show me what it looks like, and we’ll figure out how to eat it.” He described his problem-solving process by saying, “I first try to start with the root cause of the problem. … We often have the symptom, but not the problem.” He then mentioned that when presented with an issue, he asks “Why?” five times in order to get to the problem’s root cause.
Even though Maj. Gen. Bartrum told stories of meeting presidents, organizing operations to combat COVID, and flying in helicopters, he remained humble. When asked about his biggest achievement in life, he said, “The biggest success for me is being the father for my daughters. … But if you look at it from a business perspective, it’s mentoring people.”
Major General Bartrum ended the evening with advice for McKendree students: “You always look for opportunity. You should be the first to volunteer for that opportunity. You don’t know what door that will open and where that door will lead. … Always look out and seek opportunity, so you’re living on the edge. … Learn to think strategically … so you’re responding and not reacting. Take risks and fail fast.”
Why? Because, as Bartrum said, “You’re going to change the world.”
1Air Force. (n.d.). JOHN J. BARTRUM. https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/1953715/john-j-bartrum/
2Our leadership – Brightstar Innovations Group. (n.d.). https://brightstarig.com/our-leadership/
