Voices in Our Heads
For Mario Cordero, Listening is Key in Leadership
Mario Cordero has a great view of the Long Beach Airport from his corner office at the Port of Long Beach headquarters on Spring Street. He sits there as the Port’s latest Executive Director having taken the helm of the job May 15, 2017. But, it’s not his first time at the Port’s headquarters. While it may be a different building, he’s been here before as a member, vice president and president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners for eight years, 2003-2011.
Cordero followed up that act with an appointment by President Barack Obama in 2011 to the Federal Maritime Commission as a member and later its Chairman. So, you can say that Mario Cordero knows a thing or two about Maritime policies and Ports. All that knowledge will come in handy as he takes on the responsibility of leading the Port’s Harbor Department staff of more than 500 people with an annual budget of nearly $800 million.
Mario Cordero, Executive Director, Port of Long Beach
PalacioMagazine.com recently sat down with Mario Cordero in his Spring Street office to talk about the influences in his life, his love for the piano and poetry, and the importance of listening as part of leadership.
The Early Influences on Mario Cordero
Mario Cordero doesn’t hesitate when asked about the early influences in his life.
“First of all, I would have to start with my parents because I was very blessed to come from a household where I had a mother and father consistently as opposed to, sometimes you know, many kids, particularly today, come from a one parent household.”
His parents served as role models for Cordero. Neither had higher education, Cordero explained, but “…they were both hard workers.”
“They taught me the importance of work ethic, values, and more importantly, opportunities that we had to accept.”
But there was something else they taught him. One lesson that he doesn’t forget.
“Being humble. My father was a laborer but we were on the low end of the middle class. He worked for a small aircraft company. My mother was a housewife. And despite our challenges growing up in L.A. economically, it compared nothing to their background.”
His parents reminded him that, although they had little, there were those who had even less. “Always remember where you came from and be humble.”
Growing into his life came with its own set of challenges as he made his way through school. From Cordero’s perspective, a professional life for a Chicano student was not always encouraged by Los Angeles Unified School District.
“We were being directed to classes like woodshop, electric shop, and things like that.”
But, there was one. A counselor, who wasn’t even his counselor, encouraged Mr. Cordero to go to a four-year college. It was a recommendation that was supported by his parents. That counselor provided the tools to complete the applications and she guided him into California State University, Long Beach where he would graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. Cordero would later attend the University of Santa Clara to earn his law degree.
The Impressive Career
He’s had an impressive legal, public service, and educational career. Mario Cordero’s biography lists a 30-year law practice, specializing in workers’ compensation cases. There’s the teaching of Political Science, focusing on California Politics, at Long Beach City College. Then, there is the public service that includes the City of Long Beach Community Development Commission and vice chair of the City Ethics Task Force that developed a Code of Ethics for Long Beach City employees, as well as elected and appointed City officials.
All the awards and accolades seem to disappear into the background when Mr. Cordero speaks about music and poetry. Encouraged by his parents, he and his siblings took piano lessons.
“All three of us, and that’s my brother and my sister, all three of us took piano lessons. It was a sacrifice for them but It was important for them to know that being trained in music, number one, would assist you in life and two, would be good for you going forward in terms of enjoying the arts and music and what it does and it certainly inspired me.”
For Cordero, the impact of those piano lessons was the ability to express yourself. The piano teachers would instill confidence in him.
“As a Mexican-American kid, I could be as good as anyone.”
Then, there was the poetry. He admits it began in college as poems to the woman who would later become his wife, Gloria.
“I don’t write as much as I used to but now that I’m having this conversation, it’s something in the back of my mind because I love doing that.”
The Challenges Facing Mario Cordero
Mario Cordero will need those creative skills as he begins to tackle the complexities of this job. He’s credited from his earlier time on the Harbor Commission of being a strong advocate for Green Port Policies to reduce harmful emissions and outreach to the communities affected by Port operations. While the impacts of those emissions have been reduced over the years, there’s a newer and more difficult challenge: Zero emissions. It’s a goal he supports.
“It’s a difficult goal because now we’re talking about technology that is either in the making or is not here yet. And the challenge and potential impacts on the business community because you’re talking about the considerable expense. I’m optimistic I’m going to get there like we did in the last decade in reducing emissions.”
This is the third or fourth Industrial revolution, according to Cordero, in terms of how high the challenge is for technology. He acknowledges the technological challenges and that it must be done without, at the same time, having an unhealthy impact on businesses.
Mario Cordero’s many years as an attorney has also prepared him for the skill to navigate that balance.
“As a lawyer, I’ve been doing that all my life…But, I think going back to what I’ve done here at the port of Long Beach, I think what experience has taught me is the necessity of having honest communication with all the stakeholders.”
For Cordero, being a good listener is even more important than that.
“Listen to everyone’s concerns and then find ways on how we collaborate and address people’s concerns without promising the world.”
While everyone may not get what they want, there is value in their concerns being heard, says Cordero. According to the Executive Director, these leadership skill sets begin at the port.
“It starts at home by making sure staff exemplifies that kind of communications here with the people they talk to and we take this out to the community, both community, and industry.”
Cordero emphasizes that constituents will be heard and their concerns not dismissed.
Visit the Port of Long Beach Website
You can find out more about Mario Cordero, the Commission of the Port of Long Beach, and the many challenges they are addressing at http://polb.com/.
