I've seen similar things. Also aware of 'boss as a service'[0].

One funny thing I have read someone do is give a cheque to a friend. The cheque is for an organization with values against the issuer's values. The person gave instructions "If I don't X done by Y, send them the cheque".

The person reported that they have achieved their goals and got X done by Y.

- [0]: https://bossasaservice.life/