Within days, Rebecca received statements from former and current employees. Several described being threatened after questioning Richard’s decisions. One employee had been transferred to a less desirable position after reporting suspicious invoices. Another had resigned because she believed her concerns would never be taken seriously. Their stories were remarkably consistent. Richard had built a reputation for intimidating anyone who challenged him.

I requested that every complaint be independently reviewed and that nobody involved in the investigation face retaliation. Then Rebecca forwarded an email Richard had sent to a senior manager. In it, he joked about the Collins family being too distant to notice what happened at the regional office. I read the message twice. He had mistaken my quiet leadership for weakness.