On Tuesday evening, during a student-focused panel event, a group of four passionate and dedicated Ducks inspired current students to rethink what it means to be a leader.

Panelists included Akilah Powell, Elizabeth Mannering, Jaleel Reed and UO alumnus and Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who returned to campus to be a part of the event. Mariota is a Heisman Trophy winner known for his leadership on and off the field, including founding his own charity, the Motiv8 Foundation, which focuses on youth prosperity initiatives.

Powell, the racial justice coordinator for the ASUO’s Women Center, will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in general social science. Mannering is the chair of the Ducks after Duck team and is a third year student studying human physiology. Reed is a third year concurrent-degree graduate student in community/regional planning and environmental studies.

Panelists answered questions submitted by current UO students. Among the questions, panelists were asked what they think are the most pressing challenges that leaders face today.

“For me, it’s holding others accountable.” Mariota responded. “You don’t want to be that (person) who calls another person out. Sometimes there’s that little voice in your head that’s saying, ‘That’s not the cool thing to do,’ but as a leader, you have to quiet that voice in your head and ask yourself, ‘What is best for the organization or what is best for the team?"

“And for me, I struggle with this every single day, because you want to be liked. It’s part of human nature to want to be liked, and sometimes as a leader, you have to step outside of that comfort zone and hold people accountable and call them out on things, and that’s not an easy thing to do by any stretch.”

When asked how they would regain trust and influence after making a mistake, Mannering answered, “When I make a mistake, I think a good place to start is admitting what you did and taking ownership of it. One of the best qualities in a leader is to be trustworthy.”

“Instead of thinking about how to regain influence … I think committing ourselves to creating a space that’s about building trust and that’s building honest transparent relationships with those around us in our strengths and in our weaknesses,” Reed said in response to the same question. “A space where when a mistake is made, instead of regaining influence as a part of that mistake, we create opportunities for other people to step up in ways that complement our strengths and allow for other people to articulate their strengths.”

Panelist Powell addressed a question on whether all leaders should have certain qualities or whether they are unique to each person.

“A leader, to me, needs to have compassion and understanding,” Powell said. “There are different ways to be a leader, but if they are not working to make sure everything is equitable, I don’t think that’s being a leader. It is important to understand the intersectionalities of people’s everyday lives. I don’t think there’s one way to be a leader, but the most important aspect of being a leader is understanding and compassion.”

At the conclusion of the event, Mariota accepted a special piece of artwork created by the class of 2015 and was welcomed back by the UO Hawaiian Club, who presented him with a traditional Hawaiian lei.

The event was presented by the BEseries, a program with the Erb Memorial Union.

—By Karen Schmidt-MacKenzie, Student Life Communications