CPM Leading People 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When delegating a high-stakes project to a competent but new employee, which action is MOST important?
- Provide autonomy with no check-ins to build confidence
- Clearly define expected outcomes, timelines, and checkpoints while remaining available for support (Correct answer)
- Complete the most difficult portions yourself to ensure quality
- Assign the task to a more experienced employee instead
Correct answer: Clearly define expected outcomes, timelines, and checkpoints while remaining available for support
Effective delegation includes clear expectations and structured support, especially for employees new to a task.
Question 2: A public manager's team consistently misses deadlines despite appearing busy. The MOST likely root cause to investigate is:
- Insufficient overtime pay
- Unclear priorities, poor work planning, or resource constraints (Correct answer)
- Lack of team-building events
- Overly strict supervisory oversight
Correct answer: Unclear priorities, poor work planning, or resource constraints
Chronic missed deadlines often signal systemic issues in planning, priority-setting, or resource allocation rather than individual effort.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of using INTRINSIC motivation strategies to improve team performance?
- Offering monetary bonuses for meeting targets
- Providing additional annual leave as a performance reward
- Connecting employees' work to meaningful public outcomes and personal growth (Correct answer)
- Increasing base salaries for top performers
Correct answer: Connecting employees' work to meaningful public outcomes and personal growth
Intrinsic motivation comes from within — meaning, autonomy, and mastery — rather than external rewards like pay.
Question 4: During a period of organizational change, a manager observes increased conflict among team members. The MOST constructive response is to:
- Suppress the conflict by enforcing stricter rules
- Acknowledge the tension, facilitate open dialogue, and address underlying concerns (Correct answer)
- Transfer conflicting employees to separate units
- Ignore it — conflict resolves itself over time
Correct answer: Acknowledge the tension, facilitate open dialogue, and address underlying concerns
Constructive conflict management involves acknowledging tension and creating space for resolution through facilitated communication.
Question 5: A manager wants to develop future leaders within the team. Which approach BEST supports leadership development?
- Keeping all strategic decisions at the managerial level
- Assigning stretch assignments, providing coaching, and creating growth opportunities (Correct answer)
- Sending employees to a single one-day leadership workshop annually
- Promoting the employee with the most seniority
Correct answer: Assigning stretch assignments, providing coaching, and creating growth opportunities
Sustained leadership development requires experiential learning through stretch assignments combined with ongoing coaching and feedback.
Question 6: The concept of 'leading by example' in public management PRIMARILY means:
- Demonstrating technical expertise in all areas the team handles
- Modeling the values, work ethic, and behaviors expected of team members (Correct answer)
- Always being the first to arrive and last to leave the office
- Publicizing personal achievements to inspire staff
Correct answer: Modeling the values, work ethic, and behaviors expected of team members
Leading by example means that a manager's actions, values, and conduct set the standard for expected team behavior.
Question 7: A manager receives feedback that team members feel micromanaged. To address this, the manager should FIRST:
- Discontinue all supervision and let the team self-manage
- Reflect on current supervisory behaviors and identify specific areas to grant more autonomy (Correct answer)
- Dismiss the feedback as unfounded if performance is satisfactory
- Require team members to justify why they need more independence
Correct answer: Reflect on current supervisory behaviors and identify specific areas to grant more autonomy
Effective leaders respond to feedback with self-reflection and targeted behavioral adjustments rather than wholesale change or dismissal.
CPM Leading People 3
When delegating a high-stakes project to a competent but new employee, which action is MOST important?