Erin Jones, independent education and systems consultant and former candidate for Washington superintendent of public instruction, discussed the connection between leadership and forgiveness in an on-campus TEDx Talk on Friday.

“Each of you is a leader in your own way,” Jones said, “and right now is the time to figure out what’s that thing that you’re really passionate about, that you will go to the end of the earth to do.”

Jones stressed the importance of real-person interaction between individuals as a leader.

“We spend so little time looking into each other right now,” she said. “I have three kids your age. They come home and they’re like texting each other in the living room. If you’re never looking people in the eyes, can you really build relationships?”

Jones said if a person chooses to be a leader, there will always be haters — and if there are no haters, that leader does not stand for anything. She said the greatest lesson she learned was when to forgive and when to walk away.

Jones shared a story about her grandmother calling her a racial slur many years ago and how she didn’t understand the meaning behind the word. Even though the slur hurt at the time, she said being able to distinguish between racism and ignorance is important for leaders so they can be good examples for others.

“There are certain people who don’t deserve your energy,” Jones said. “But there are others who just don’t know any better. And our job as leaders is to distinguish between the two and invest in those that are willing to learn.”

Jones argued that finding those people who are curious, who know they’re on the wrong path but just don’t know how to get on the right one, is what is going to make this country great.

“Are you willing to show mercy and grace?” Jones said. “Are you willing to be curious when you meet someone who’s different from you, who has opinions and values that may disgust you, but you’re willing to figure out why?”

Jones said greatness is a choice people make every day, not something they are born into.

“I’m not talking about perfection,” she said. “I’m talking about are you willing to invest in yourself? And are you willing to turn around and invest [in] others?”

Jones said greatness is not something a president can do or stop someone else from doing. She said it’s something each person has to be willing to contribute to.

“Your mistakes, your foibles and everything that you’ve been through,” she said, “is part of your story.”

Jones said people are responsible for using their stories to make their own communities better. She also said she believes good leaders are people who are willing to live that way every day whether it’s easy or hard.

Senior marketing major Kyle Sprague said the part that stood out to him the most was the way Jones talked about forgiveness.

“The part that was inspiring was [that she was able] to make the conscious decision to forgive her grandmother for saying horrible things to her,” Sprague said. “Her grandmother just didn’t know any better and that’s something I think we as a society should know.”