Yesterday Senator Barrack Obama gave a speech on race relations that was astonishing in its eloquence and in what it tells us about his leadership skills. It contains a number of lessons for executives in the Transportation and Logistics industries. I would like to share these lessons with the readers of this blog.

Senator Obama was facing a major crisis in his bid for the leadership of the Democratic Party and ultimately for President of the United States. The crisis was brought on by video clips taken of his Pastor making inflammatory remarks to his congregation about race relations in the United States.

Senator Obama had several options. He could ignore the remarks which were having a derogatory impact on his campaign, he could distance himself from the Pastor or he could face up to the crisis and speak to the issue of race relations in America which he had not previously addressed before as the centerpiece of a major speech. The fact that he chose the latter approach says a great deal about him as a leader.

In this remarkably crafted speech, he took the risk of communicating his vision of America as it pertains to race relations, his vision of hope and change and collaboration that he has championed since the beginning. He did not throw his longtime Pastor “under the bus” as so many leaders do when they face a crisis. In fact, he presented a very balanced view of Reverend Wright, a man who officiated at his wedding, baptized his children and shaped his life. He highlighted that the Pastor is from another generation and still carries the frustrations of that era brought on by being raised as an African American in the United States. While Senator Obama stated that he disagreed with some of the Pastor’s views, he supported his spiritual leader during this crisis. This was a brave thing to do.

Senator Obama demonstrated a number of excellent leadership qualities in this speech. He has a vision that he is able to communicate with great eloquence, passion and charisma. He shared his vision of a better society, a society that he hopes to transform with his skills as a leader, motivator and collaborator. He takes risks and will do the right thing when he is faced with a difficult situation, not take the easy way out. He is loyal to the people that have helped shape his life. He is brave to speak out on a topic that is so emotionally charged at this pivotal point in his run for his party’s nomination. He is also inspiring.

Quite frankly, I wish we had a leader like Senator Obama running our government in Canada and running many of the trucking companies in North America. I wish him the best of luck. He is a remarkable person and a remarkable leader.