CMM Leadership & Ethical Decision-Making 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A city manager is pressured by a council majority to terminate an employee for reasons the manager believes are politically motivated and legally unprotected. The manager should:
- Comply immediately to maintain the council majority's confidence
- Consult the city attorney, document the request, and refuse if the termination would be unlawful (Correct answer)
- Terminate the employee but give a generous severance to mitigate legal risk
- Publicly announce the political nature of the request to protect the employee
Correct answer: Consult the city attorney, document the request, and refuse if the termination would be unlawful
Legal and ethical obligations require the manager to seek counsel and refuse unlawful directives regardless of political pressure.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'transformational leadership' in a municipal government context?
- Managing day-to-day operations with minimal disruption to existing workflows
- Inspiring staff and community stakeholders to pursue a shared vision of organizational change (Correct answer)
- Exchanging rewards for performance through transactional agreements with unions
- Focusing exclusively on budget efficiency and service metric targets
Correct answer: Inspiring staff and community stakeholders to pursue a shared vision of organizational change
Transformational leaders motivate followers by articulating an inspiring vision and fostering commitment to collective goals beyond self-interest.
Question 3: The principle of 'equal treatment under the law' obligates a city manager to:
- Apply policies and services uniformly regardless of residents' political connections or social status (Correct answer)
- Provide additional services to historically underserved neighborhoods to achieve equity
- Treat all departments identically in budget allocations each fiscal year
- Ensure all employees receive the same salary regardless of position or tenure
Correct answer: Apply policies and services uniformly regardless of residents' political connections or social status
Equal treatment means applying rules, policies, and services consistently without favoritism, a core legal and ethical obligation of public administrators.
Question 4: A city manager notices that a senior staff member is showing signs of burnout. From an ethical leadership perspective, the most appropriate action is to:
- Reduce the employee's workload without acknowledgment to avoid embarrassment
- Have a private, supportive conversation and connect the employee with available resources (Correct answer)
- Reassign the employee immediately to a less demanding role
- Document the performance decline and begin progressive discipline
Correct answer: Have a private, supportive conversation and connect the employee with available resources
Ethical leaders address burnout proactively and compassionately; a private conversation respects dignity while connecting the employee to appropriate support.
Question 5: When making a major policy recommendation to the council, a city manager who presents only the information that supports the recommended option is violating which ethical principle?
- Loyalty to the governing body
- Transparency and honest communication (Correct answer)
- Stewardship of public resources
- Political neutrality
Correct answer: Transparency and honest communication
Managers are ethically obligated to present complete, balanced information to elected officials so they can make fully informed decisions.
Question 6: An ethical decision-making framework that asks 'Would I be comfortable if this decision were reported on the front page of the local newspaper?' is known as the:
- Stakeholder analysis test
- Newspaper front-page (or sunshine) test (Correct answer)
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Categorical imperative test
Correct answer: Newspaper front-page (or sunshine) test
The newspaper/sunshine test is a quick heuristic that checks whether a decision can withstand full public scrutiny—a practical tool for public managers.
Question 7: A city manager who builds coalitions across community groups, negotiates with unions, and aligns department directors toward a unified budget priority is primarily demonstrating:
- Autocratic decision-making
- Political competency and collaborative leadership (Correct answer)
- Avoidance of the council's policy-making role
- Micromanagement of departmental functions
Correct answer: Political competency and collaborative leadership
Political competency—building relationships and managing competing interests to achieve organizational goals—is a critical leadership skill for effective city managers.
CMM Leadership & Ethical Decision-Making 5
A city manager is pressured by a council majority to terminate an employee for reasons the manager believes are politically motivated and legally unprotected.
The manager should: