John, a senior executive at a nonprofit and a client of mine, found himself facing an unexpected challenge with one of his direct reports, Alex. During one of the organization’s largest fundraising events, he began noticing a troubling pattern as Alex repeatedly bypassed the “chain of command.” Instead of following traditional reporting structures, Alex went directly to John’s boss for updates and feedback. The situation escalated when a key external partner mentioned a change in the event’s plans to John — one that he hadn’t even heard about. In that moment, he felt the pressure mount as he realized he was losing credibility with a critical partner.
