"Once I was managing the system implementation for a new branch that was under construction. One of the main stakeholders for the build was the operations director. I had asked them for the organizational breakdown of the new branch so I could break down the access privileges as well as other software permissions based on different roles and responsibilities for the branch. The operations director, Mr. A kept pushing it off giving the excuse that HR hadn't confirmed headcounts and hiring timeline. I had already explained multiple times how critical it was for us to at least estimate the number of people who would be managers, supervisors, and everyone else under them. I needed to carve out the hardware budget accordingly, get approvals, and plan software training for new hires.

After a month with no estimates, I respectfully let Mr. A know that I would approach HR directly. I escalated to my manager and asked to coordinate directly with HR. This was not a standard operating procedure, so my manager and I met with Mr. A's superior first and they confirmed that Mr. A has a history of withholding information. In this case, the superior advised that I approach them directly moving forward, instead of Mr. A. I got the data I needed and got the project sponsors' approval. After that, I met with Mr. A to show them the numbers before I shared them with the rest of the project team. I felt like I needed to assure him that I wasn't going behind his back, but instead made him feel as if I wanted to take a large task off his plate."