Thank you, Bob, for that kind introduction.

You read it exactly the way my wife wrote it!

It is a pleasure to be with you tonight.

On behalf of my colleagues at Ford Financial, we are proud to be sponsoring this dinner. And I am glad to see my former employer - Bank One - sponsored the reception.

I understand my remarks are the only thing keeping you from dinner. As you can tell … I like to eat! So I promise to keep my remarks brief.

This is a great event!

I am so sorry that Fred Thomas could not be here to enjoy this evening. I know we all wish him a speedy recovery.

I am proud of the work Bob and Fred are doing for this organization. You do a terrific job of representing Ford Financial and what we stand for.

That is what I want to talk about tonight: what we stand for.

I am talking about values and leadership.

Values are essential. They sustain us. They are the glue binding us together. Equally important is leadership. Leadership is taking people to places they would not normally go themselves.

You are leaders. You joined this organization because you want to do more. For yourselves … for your company … and for your community.

I am here tonight to tell you that you are a leader. Turn to the person on either side of you … shake their hand … and tell them, "You are a leader."

(Pause)

This organization promotes leadership. You are leaders in our industry.

One of your goals this year was to increase the membership of non-banking institutions.

We at Ford financial are proud to be one of the first non-banks to be a part of this organization.

Our industry is changing. Banks, insurance companies, credit companies - we are all in the financial services industry.

That led to your second goal: completing your name change -- from the National Association Of Urban Bankers … to the Urban Financial Services Coalition. Your new name reflects the direction of our industry.

My company has done the same thing. In the past, you may have known us as Ford Motor Credit Company. However, we are more than that.

Besides Ford Credit, our brands include Volvo Finance, Mazda Credit, Jaguar Credit, Land Rover, and Primus. We took a look at all we are … and all we hope to become … and we decided it was time for a new look.

Our new name is Ford Financial. It serves as a gathering place for all our brands. It also recognizes that we offer more products and services than ever.

We offer money market accounts and insurance. We are adding home mortgages and on-line tax services.

Your third and final goal was to create a leadership development program…so your members can move from good to great … and from great to extraordinary.

You need to be yourselves … and bring your unique ideas to your workplace every day.

I understand you had a presentation at this conference on developing future leaders. That is fantastic!

Brenda Joseph from the Los Angeles chapter gave this presentation. Brenda, please stand so we can recognize you.

(Lead applause)

Leadership development is a process that never ends. I am 53 years old … and I plan to be developing my leadership skills for the rest of my life.

There is someone else i would like to recognize. Marlene Braithwaite of the New York chapter put together one of the largest career fairs a local chapter has ever had.

Marlene, that is outstanding work. Please stand so we can thank you.

(Lead applause)

You have made tremendous strides toward your goals this year. Now you need to challenge yourselves to do more.

You need to continue to reach out to non-banks so that this organization reflects the entire financial services industry.

And you need to continue to develop your leadership programs. As I tell my staff, always strive to get to the top … because the bottom is overcrowded!

The world moves at a fast pace … and we often find ourselves in unfamiliar territory.

That is why values are so important. Values are a compass … giving us guidance when things seem unclear.

Even though both of our organizations have changed our names … we have not changed what we believe in.

You continue to stand for professional development. You believe in giving back to the community.

At Ford, the customer is job #1.

You saw that value in action just last week. Jac Nasser announced Ford is replacing 13 million Firestone tires as a precautionary measure because our customers come first.

Jac Nasser did this because it is the right thing to do. It reflects our values … and that, ladies and gentlemen, is great leadership.

I joined Ford Financial 19 months ago … and one of the first things we did was to create a values statement.

One of our seven values is diversity and the opportunity to contribute. That statement says, "We value the differences that make the contributions of each person unique. We are fair in all that we do."

I am committed to diversity. Since I joined Ford Financial ... We have put processes in place to recognize people who support diversity.

Every year we do an employee satisfaction survey … and this year our score for diversity went up 6 points. That is incredible! It shows people can see the difference for themselves.

How did this happen? I call this the shadow of the leader. Your behavior affects others. Your actions cast a shadow that everyone around you can see.

You bring your experience and background to your employers. You are leaders in your companies. You are leaders in your communities.

Race and gender are important issues. So are religion and sexual orientation.

Recognizing differences is important. I know what it feels like to be different.

When I was a kid in the church choir, I sang "praise dog from whom all blessings flow." I was not a cut up. Our minister realized I was a kid with a problem.

So every Thursday night, i went to his house and he let me underline words in the hymnal … so that on Sunday, I could sing them right.

He took my agony … and through his acceptance … he gave me a chance to be successful.

You see … I am dyslexic. This is something I struggle with everyday.

Being different is hard. Differences create stress … even agony … in our lives. Through acceptance and support … we can turn agony into success.

My learning differences cause me to think differently. Your differences make you think differently, too - and that is a strength!

Thinking differently will lead you to creative solutions. I call that thinking outside the box.

To think outside the box, I use a process I developed called breakthrough leadership. I teach this in my course at the University of Michigan … and I talk about it every day at Ford Financial.

Let me explain it to you in a nutshell. A breakthrough is something that would not normally have happened … and, as a result, it will never go back to the way it was before. It is a process that starts by asking questions … the answers to which lead to breakthroughs in thinking.

Sometimes the simplest questions can lead to some of the greatest breakthroughs.

Think of Albert Einstein. He asked, "How big is small?" That question revolutionized how we look at our world.

Think of Rosa Parks. She asked, "Why do I have to sit in the back of the bus?" Those words changed a nation.

And in our hometown of Detroit, the founders of a human rights organization called Focus Hope asked the question, "How can urban young people get the skills they need to be successful in the work force?"

That question led to the creation of an inner-city training and development center.

We at Ford Financial are working with Focus Hope to develop a program to train a new generation of customer service professionals who can join our fast-growing industry.

Simple questions like these can help people, companies, and organizations look at problems in new ways. They help us break out of the box.

Some of you are already doing that. You are helping young people understand credit … you are teaching them how to manage it.

Karen Clarke … I understand you lead the credit awareness youth program for the Los Angeles chapter. You are giving people a skill that will last them their entire lives. You are teaching them to manage their financial resources.

That is great!

Let us recognize Karen.

(Lead applause)

And Tina Coleman, you work on a project that is very dear to me.

You lead a literacy program in Louisville, Kentucky. You are helping grade school students with their reading skills.

Reading is the absolute foundation of learning. As someone who has always struggled with reading, I know what a gift this is.

Tina, please stand so we can thank you.

(Lead applause)

In all of these cases … there was agony. A problem that seemed impossible to solve.
And one person came along with an out-of-the box idea. And now that agony is becoming success.

This organization creates an atmosphere of acceptance so that everyone can be successful.
This organization promotes leadership. This organization is living its values.

Now it is up to each of you to find a way to give back. To lift up someone else … even as you continue to lift yourselves.

Congratulations on a terrific conference!

Thank you.