Ethical Survivor Cases (Print version)
Ethical Survivor Tribe Challenges
Challenge #1 Bob “gets it done” !
Bob is a truck driver for the public works department in a smaller community. But he is way more than that: his boss considers him to be one of the department’s outstanding employees. Because of his “can do” attitude, Bob’s supervisor relies on him extensively, especially when the department faces a deadline or crisis.
Bob’s supervisor comes to him with an urgent request: they are low on generators, the supplier can’t deliver on time, and a hurricane is forecast. The only source of generators is a supply center located 80 miles up the road. Bob leaves immediately hoping to have enough time to get to the supply center, get the generators, and return in time to handle the storm. It would be a tight schedule. Bob arrives at the supply center only to face a long line of 40 trucks ahead of him. Doing a quick calculation, Bob figures he will never get back in time to deliver the generators before the storm. As Bob debates what to do, he notices that some trucks are pulling out of line and going around to the back of the depot. When Bob gets a little closer he finds out why: for an extra $50 cash payment to the foreman, Bob is told he can go directly to the loading area. Bob does not hesitate. He pays the $50 cash and is on his way in 30 minutes.
When Bob arrives back at the Public Works yard, he tells his supervisor the story and asks for reimbursement of the $50. The supervisor is speechless!
(Case Author Bernie Hayen)
Challenge #2 Your Very Own Toxic Assets
After 15 years as a city and county manager in Florida, your brain is just fried by the sun, toxic politics and turf warfare with the unions. After a lot of soul searching and long talks with your spouse, you both agree that its time to move to a nice, peaceful, mountain resort out west. You vie for and land the job as city manager in a lovely, wealthy and quiet resort town in Idaho. The plan is for you to rent a house in Idaho while your spouse remains in Florida to sell off your home as well as her business. It was a perfect plan until the real estate market fell apart. Now after almost a year on the market and several reductions in the asking price, you are unable to sell your home. In fact, you can’t even rent it. Your spouse can’t unload her business either. Between the rent, mortgage and cost of traveling between Idaho and Florida, your savings are starting to dwindle. And the stress of being apart is taking its toll on your marriage. When you took the position, you promised the city council that you would stay for 5 years but after just 1 year, you decide that it is time to move on. A great job has opened in a nice, less expensive part of Colorado. You decide to take your chances and apply for the job without telling the city council. As luck would have it, you are the perfect candidate and they offer you the position.
Challenge #3 I’ve got Fans!!
After two years of budget cuts that have resulted in staff reductions and reduced hours, it looks like the city’s management will be recommending that the city close several libraries. You learn that news from the Library Director who is making the rounds at sites across the city to deliver the news in person. After years on the library staff, you just can’t believe they would make such a foolish recommendation. Libraries are more than just a place to get a book. In tough economic times, they give families who are struggling to make ends meet a free source of entertainment and enable job seekers to use the internet to connect with potential employers. Where will these residents get these services if the neighborhood Libraries close? And what makes you really mad is that cuts are not being made in those sacred cow departments like police and fire. After venting with your kids about it, one of them suggests that you start a Facebook page, get a bunch of fans and start Twittering about the issue to raise the alarm. Over the next couple of days, you create a site, post comments on your wall about how little money will really be saved, and how the decision has just not been carefully considered. In addition you connect with all the “Friends of the Library” folks and search on Facebook for all the patrons you know so that they can be “fans”. Within a week you have lots of fans, friends and support. Soon the Library Director is coming to visit you to order you to take the site down. Turns out that you unknowingly asked the mayor to be a fan, she asked the city manager what the ?*@/* ? was going on and he was clueless. Now he is just livid and straight from his mouth comes this message: “Staff have no business getting involved in budget decisions. And anything they say needs to be cleared by the city first. Take the site down or you will be disciplined”.
Challenge # 4 Lame Ducks
Mix in a few retirements with some defeats and the county will soon be governed by a commission with one incumbent and four new members. Rather than retreating, the lame-duck commission is aggressively moving to leave its imprint. The outgoing chair has directed the county manager to place several items on the agenda for a vote during the remaining 60-day term. Among the measures is a final vote on an update to the region’s comprehensive plan. The sole incumbent and the incoming commission members are opposed to the measure. In fact, their entire campaign was about opposing this proposed change to the comprehensive plan. After all, it was developed by a bunch of liberal, eco-terrorists who want to preserve green space!! With the economy in the tank, we need development and jobs not some place to talk a walk or have a picnic. A vote by the county commission will cement the change as it has already been approved by the other local governments in the region.
The returning incumbent has privately approached the county manager to discuss ways to ensure defeat of this effort. After all, the election of a new commission is a signal that the public expects change! Surely if the voters put this new commission in, they don’t want this plan to go forward. How can the manager and the lame duck commission thwart the wishes of the public???? The manager tries to explain to the commissioner that there isn’t much he can do if the commission is willing to meet and take action on the issue. In reply, the commissioner suggests that the manager “get creative and think outside the box…if you really want to stop this insanity (and save your job, by the way) get creative and find a way to kill this. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.” The manager is racking his brains…should he make a mistake in the meeting notice to nullify the vote? Call in a bomb threat? Slip a mild poison into the water of a couple commissioners to make them miss the vote?
Challenge #5 “ I’ve Got a Secret”
As part of the HR team, you manage the city’s relationship with all the health care companies. A significant part of your work is to assist employees who are encountering problems with the companies. The latest issue involves Andy, the fire chief’s son. In the process of attempting to resolve some rather complex issues on his behalf, you learn from him that he is HIV positive. He is a nice young man so you feel sad to hear this news. You finally get his problem resolved. He is so grateful that he stops by your office one morning to thank you with some flowers. After he leaves the building, another staff member shares some gossip: did you know that Andy is dating the city manager’s daughter. The daughter attended high school with your kids so you know this girl fairly well. You are alarmed to think that the manager’s daughter could be at risk. Days pass and every time you run into the manager, your urge to do something about this situation increases.
Challenge #6: OMG!! What Have I Gotten Into??
Alison was flattered when Ron, a city manager with a great reputation, recruited her to join his staff as an assistant city manager. She had several one on one meetings with Ron as part of the interview process and left each session feeling like their personalities and management styles totally clicked. In addition to boosting her ego, the new position offered a promotion, more responsibility, and better pay. The only downside to accepting the offer was that Alison would be leaving an organization and community that she just loved. But her mentor encouraged her to make the move. Ron is highly regarded by his peers as an innovator and true leader in the profession. He has been recognized for his accomplishments with awards by ICMA and other organizations.
Now a year into the new job, Alison is just dismayed and stunned by Ron’s conduct, bad leadership and lack of ethical standards. The short list of questionable conduct includes directing finance staff to alter financial data to make the budget shortfall projections less dire; ordering Alison to delete unfavorable scores and comments from the customer survey results in a presentation to city council; “encouraging” the HR director to support Ron’s version of the facts in an executive session convened to discuss the termination of a popular department director; a pattern of making very personal comments to female staff members and sharing questionable jokes in person and via email with the leadership team; and, in general, ignoring or making exceptions to policy. In the last regard, Ron violated the personnel policy when he allowed a couple of department directors to sell back excess vacation leave. He also sold back some excess leave in violation of his employment agreement and without getting council approval. Given the wage freeze that the city has been under, this exception really doesn’t pass the smell test. While Alison actually refused to “cook” the survey results, some of the department directors follow his unethical directions. They talk about it amongst themselves but very few are brave enough to challenge Ron. After all, who wants to risk their job or annoy the boss? Morale is pretty low.
Alison has talked with Ron about his conduct and her concerns about misrepresenting information to council and the fallout of violating city policy. Ron listens but hasn’t change his conduct. Alison is wondering what’s her ethical obligation?
FACE OFF!
After you were hired as the manager, the mayor confided to you that one long serving councilmember, Ann, was “a bit eccentric”. In reality, Ann regularly misuses her position for personal benefit. You learn that she has been engaged in a nasty and long running dispute with her neighbors and has over the years ordered code enforcement staff to cite the neighbor for any one of a number of nuisances. You fix the matter with staff by ordering them not to take directives from Ann and to stop giving her complaints preferential treatment. You also tell Ann to cease and desist. The neighbors though have had enough and file a lawsuit against the councilmember and the city. Depositions and discovery are pretty damaging for the city so the city attorney recommends settling the case. When the city attorney presents the settlement notion to the council in executive session (held without the defendant present) all of council expresses their support because it will cost the city less money and save all the embarrassment of losing. While the city attorney is negotiating a settlement, the mayor drops dead of a heart attack! Under the law, council can appoint one of its own to the position or hold a special election. Council opts for the appointment and the new mayor, Ted, is seated. Shortly thereafter, a council member tells you in confidence that Ann approached him with a deal. Ann would support his choice for mayor, Ted, on two conditions: her case would go to trial and the city manager would get fired! The council member assures you that he did not agree to the deal even though he voted for Ted. The proposed settlement is heading to council for a vote next month.
What is the most ethical thing for you to do now?