For municipal leaders
360 feedback built for the realities of municipal leadership.
For municipal leaders at every level, from supervisors and managers to directors, department heads and CAOs. 360 feedback designed for public-sector leadership, where you answer to council, colleagues, staff and the community all at once.
Mayor
Council member
Public Works Director
Finance Director
Regional partner
City Manager
“Gives council candid, balanced advice”
“Could brief council earlier on big issues”
“Trusts me to run my department”
“Could share the reasoning behind decisions”
“A reliable partner on shared issues”
One example: a city manager's 360. Every leader's circle looks different.
“I've worked alongside municipal leaders for more than 15 years, at every level of local government. Public-sector leaders carry real responsibility, yet they rarely get honest feedback about how they lead. A well-run 360 changes that.”
Drew Bird, Founder, ClearPoint360
The challenge
Municipal leaders rarely get the feedback they need to grow.
Whether they lead a crew, a department or the whole organization, municipal leaders seldom receive structured, multi-perspective feedback. Informal feedback is scarce, and annual reviews rarely capture the full picture of how they lead. Without that visibility, small issues grow quietly:
- Communication breakdowns between council and staff
- Friction and eroding trust between departments
- Inconsistent leadership across departments
- Succession instability when senior leaders move on
- Slower execution on council priorities
- Reduced trust from staff and the community
The instruments
A 360 for every level of municipal leadership
Start with the 360 that fits the role. Every one is set up with rater groups named to match your municipality and your governance structure.
Featured for CAOs and city managers
The Senior Municipal Administrator 360
Built specifically for municipalities rather than adapted from a corporate framework. It measures six competencies that reflect how senior administrators actually lead.
- Strategic leadership and organizational direction
- Council and political acuity
- People leadership and team development
- Communication and stakeholder engagement
- Organizational effectiveness and service delivery
- Change leadership and resilience
For leaders throughout your organization
Front-line
Front-Line Leader 360
Supervisors, forepersons and front-line managers, especially in their first year leading people.
Mid-level
Mid-Level Leader 360
Managers of managers, balancing today's service delivery with developing the people who deliver it.
Senior
Senior Leader 360
Directors and department heads leading functions and work that crosses departments.
Executive
Executive Leader 360
General managers and deputy CAOs shaping organization-wide direction and results.
Need something more specific? Any 360 can be tailored with competencies from our library, or built around your municipality's own leadership framework.
Who gives feedback
Every perspective that matters, in one report
Baseline
Self
The leader's own view, the starting point for every comparison.
Manager
Manager
The person the leader reports to, from a superintendent or director up to the CAO.
Direct reports
Their team
The people who experience the leader's leadership every day, from front-line staff to department heads.
Where relevant
Peers
Colleagues at a similar level, in other departments or partner organizations.
Optional
Council
For senior administrators, the mayor and council can take part at your discretion. Anonymous like every group.
Your structure, your language. Rater groups are set during configuration and named to match your organization, whether that's a council, a board of commissioners, a select board or an executive team.
How it works
We run the whole process, so your team doesn't have to
Step 1
Configure
We set up the 360, name rater groups and agree on who takes part, including whether council participates for senior roles.
Step 2
Launch
Invitations go out in as little as 48 hours, with clear instructions for every rater.
Step 3
Collect
Automated reminders and completion tracking, with responses kept confidential.
Step 4
Report and debrief
A clear report for each leader, with a coaching debrief available through our Fully Managed plan.
The team
People who know public-sector leadership.
Drew Bird, Founder. 20+ years designing and running 360 feedback in organizations, including more than 15 years with municipal leaders. Accredited EQ and AQ Master Trainer, Executive Faculty at the University of Alberta, MSc in Organizational Psychology, MA in Leadership, and author of The Leader's Guide to Feedback.
The method behind it
The Leader's Guide to Feedback
The thinking that shapes every ClearPoint360 process: how to give, receive and use feedback so it actually changes behaviour.
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Talent development executive with 25 years' experience, who has guided hundreds of leaders through 360 feedback. ICF PCC and certified Human Capital Strategist.
More than a decade running assessment and 360 processes at The EQ Development Group and ClearPoint360.
Helps organizations close the gap between how leaders intend to lead and how they're actually experienced.
Questions
Municipal questions, answered
Do you work with municipalities in both the United States and Canada?
Yes. Our 360s reflect how municipal leaders work in both systems, and rater groups are named to match your governance structure, whether your top role is called CAO, city manager, town manager or county administrator.
Does it work for smaller municipalities?
Yes. There's no minimum number of leaders, so you can start with one person and grow from there.
Does council have to be involved?
No. Council participation is optional and entirely at your municipality's discretion. When council members do take part, their responses are anonymous, just like every other rater group.
How is confidentiality protected?
Responses are anonymous and reports show aggregated results by rater group. If fewer than three people respond in a group, that group's ratings are withheld to protect anonymity.
Will this fit our procurement process?
Most engagements fall within standard municipal purchasing thresholds. We can provide a scope of work and service descriptions for your procurement file.
Can we do one leader, a team or a whole cohort?
Any of those. The cost per leader is the same whether you start with your CAO, your senior leadership team or a cohort of supervisors and managers. See our pricing page for details; all prices are in US dollars.
Get started
Let's talk about your leadership team.
Book a discovery call to see the municipal 360 and sample report, or send us a question and we'll reply within one business day.
Book a discovery callThanks, we've got your question.
We'll get back to you within one business day. In the meantime, take a look at the municipal sample report.