1. Assess the situation and company policies: • Understand the scope • Review company policies • Consider legal obligations 2. Respond professionally and politely: • Acknowledge the request • Explain your limitations • Use professional language 3. Seek alternatives and clarification: • Propose alternatives • Ask for clarification • Offer to help in other ways 4. Maintain confidentiality and integrity: • Uphold ethical standards • Protect sensitive information • Document interactions

A couple of years back I was in this kind of situation. I was keen to: a) Maintain utmost confidentiality - Trust once lost is difficult to recover b) Exercise professionalism - Any data/information received within the work environment has to be handled with highest ethical standards c) Loyalty and respect - As long as the information/request received is within legal boundaries and is in the interest of the organization, accord the position of the senior executive the respect it deserves. All in all, keep in mind the company values as well as personal values, while ensuring the two are in alignment. Happy Read ... Love and Light

Verify the request's legitimacy, follow company policies, and consult with the appropriate authority or legal team if needed before proceeding.

It takes shrewd judgement to navigate such a delicate request. I would start by determining the exact information being sought and its justifiable goal. After that, in order to ensure complete compliance, I would carefully compare the executive's authorisation to established protocols. Accountability and transparency would be key components of my response. If warranted, I'd provide anonymized or aggregated data, safeguarding individual privacy. If unauthorized, I'd firmly, yet diplomatically, decline, citing data protection mandates, maintaining integrity above all else.