As you’ve probably noticed, former Mayor Pam Iorio has resurfaced. She was even seen on WTSP Channel 10 this week–doing the weather on The Morning Show. The forecast: You’ll be seeing a lot more of her. She’s now a player on Facebook and will have her own blog.
After leaving office in April–in a hosanna-fest of compliments for bequeathing better than she inherited–she pretty much went off the public radar. She went on a vacation–two weeks in Italy and the Dalmatian Coast with husband Mark Woodard. It was their first real getaway in eight years. You can’t be in Europe when that inevitable 3 a.m. phone call comes. They also went hiking in North Carolina. In addition, Iorio did some guest lecturing at the University of Tampa and, most notably, spent four-to-five hours a day writing a book.
Well, that book is out now, and she is out and about talking about “STRAIGHTFORWARD: Ways to Live & Lead.” Here an Inkwood book signing, there a Tiger Bay Club talk.
Let’s face it, a tell-all memoir aimed at the best seller list–and not the leadership niche–would be more fun and pop-culture grist. But it wouldn’t be the MO of the terminally positive, no-need-to-name-names Pam Iorio. Nor would it be of much help during an era of “leadership deficit,” as Iorio terms it.
“It’s across the board,” Iorio says of this country’s leadership shortage. “Politics to business. Never once have we heard a CEO stand up and say, ‘I’ve made a mistake. And it has cost this country.’ Politics: Enough said. The approval rate of Congress is 9 percent. That’s barely staff and family.”
Iorio targets the “expansion and explosion” of media as a key enabler of political pandering and ideological appeal. People can now “substantiate their own opinions” by cherry-picking their major media sources, she notes. The ubiquitous media can also hype business news like never before. The result: “There’s a short-term mentality in business and politics,” she says. “Leaders need a longer-term perspective.”
Iorio is pretty, well, straightforward in laying out leadership observations and tips gleaned from two and a half decades of public service that began when she was a 26-year-old Hillsborough County Commissioner. She would later serve as the Supervisor of Elections who did Tampa and Hillsborough proud during Florida’s chaotic 2000 presidential vote. She wrapped up eight years as Tampa’s popular two-term mayor seven months ago.
In a hierarchy of must-have attributes for leaders, she starts, unsurprisingly, with “ethical core.” Ironically, her public service career was jumpstarted in the 1980s when three county commissioners were convicted of extortion–and provided an opportunity for an idealistic, articulate 20-something who was the antithesis of greased-palm pols. She then lists credibility-building “substance” and “effective communication skills.
Woven throughout is an eclectic mix of leader quotes–ranging from Benjamin Franklin to Tony Dungy–plus personal anecdotes that illustrate important leadership qualities. These range from having a “positive attitude,” “resilience” and “respect for others” to “giving credit,” “admitting mistakes” and “embracing technological advances.”
Managing Grief
There is, however, no more poignant–nor practical–piece of advice than “managing grief.” It transcends the political and corporate arenas. It’s borne of the tragic crucible that saw four TPD officers, including Iorio’s close friend and bodyguard, die in the line of duty on her City Hall watch. Three were murdered.
“Falling apart,” Iorio writes, “was not an option. Staying home was not possible. I had too much responsibility.”
Particularly haunting was the slaying of Officers Jeff Kocab and Dave Curtis–and the resultant four-day manhunt for the suspect, Dontae Morris. Iorio and Police Chief Jane Castor were constant media conduits–reassuring residents and consoling the families. Both were societal surrogates–and their public perception was everything. Iorio’s job was to channel the compassion–not the outrage–of the public.
“I privately vented to Jane Castor about it and to Mark,” recalls Iorio. “You vent privately. It wouldn’t have been good to express the anger or disgust I felt. The emphasis had to be on the lives that were lived and the families of the fallen.”
But the burden of stress was taking a toll. She fought through it, she writes, by working on “doing the next thing.” However mundane it was, however simplistic it sounded.
“The act of writing down and then crossing off everything I was to do gave me the emotional energy to make it to the next item on the list,” she explains. And, no, those items weren’t exactly mayoral appointments.
“It meant getting out of bed, making breakfast, reading the newspaper, getting the (two) kids off to school, making a phone call–taking the next step to the next step,” she writes. “Since childhood I have always needed a plan, and this was the plan. …It was my way to cope, to lead myself out of despondency.”
“It helped get me out of a terrible, dark place,” she underscores now.
Broader Applications
The book seems largely geared to fast-tracking corporate sorts who need to pay attention to something other than their networking skills and to established leaders who may take key facets of leadership for granted. Such as choosing “change battles” carefully, “letting good people lead,” spreading around credit and reining in egos.
But Iorio also makes it a point to underscore that she thinks the leadership applications transcend corporate suites and political offices. She initially underestimated the market niche, she says.
“I thought at first that this would be mainly CEOs for their employees,” acknowledges Iorio. “But really it’s for any person who wants to better him or herself by being a better leader. It could be a Little League coach, the head of a family.” Indeed, “STRAIGHTFORWARD” includes a chapter devoted to the need to create “balance between home and work.”
“Leadership,” writes Iorio, “is the act of guiding others to improve.”
Iorio Outtakes
* Her political future, including speculation about a possible gubernatorial run in 2014: “That’s not what I’m focused on right now.”
* Does she miss being mayor? “Not yet.”
* On being a student council president at Greco Junior High and King High School: “I like hammering out solutions. I wanted a hand in solving problems.”
* Importance of style–or charisma–in leaders: “Charisma is not a synonym for leadership. But it helps. It’s a bonus. JFK and Ronald Reagan were good examples.”
* Are great leaders born? “Some are. Most have to work at it. That means learning from adversity. Learning to be introspective. Knowing what to focus on. Let’s face it, we’re all a work in progress.”
* What do people want in a leader? “They want a leader that empowers them. That makes them feel better about themselves and what they do.”
* Pragmatism/ideology: “You don’t give up your core beliefs, but you’re always moving toward pragmatic solutions. You can’t be inflexible–whether it’s, for example, pensions, entitlements or taxes. You must allow for the facts to come into play.”
* That tide-turning phone call from the respected (un-named) acquaintance who advised her in mid-December 2002 not to jump into the (April 2003) mayoral race. It was, he said, a done deal for one candidate (Frank Sanchez), who had the backing of the Tampa power structure. Prior to the call, she admits, she was ready to concede it really was too late. But the off-putting call “was a jolt.” She changed her mind.
“Imagine telling a supervisor of elections that an election has already been decided before anyone had a chance to vote!” she writes. “His comments solidified in me the view that leadership begins with believing in yourself.”
* Key mayoral mistake: Sales tax for transportation pitch. It violated, she admits, the “simplicity rule” for communication. The counterproductive result: “A big plan that was almost impossible to explain.”
* Home life of a public person: “I was the beneficiary of a moderate, safe cocoon. There was no drama at home. My family was a source of joy and strength.”
* Indispensible: a sounding board. “I lucked out in the mentor/friend (Fran Davin) department. But to have a friend, you need to be a friend. It goes both ways. Remember to slow down and take time to develop relationships.”
* Media relations: “I was 15 during Watergate. I saw the work of the ‘4th estate’ and was impressed. I have a healthy appreciation for the media’s role. They’re out to make a difference. They want to be where the action is. I can relate to that.”