I think you must be taking boss to mean something differently from me.
Your direct report, is your boss regardless of if you are in civil service or not---often your 'boss' is not an elected official, but part of the bureaucracy.
Your bosses direct report is also your boss (transitive law), and so on till you hit the pinnacle of the executive branch---Trump.
Your direct report, is your boss regardless of if you are in civil service or not---often your 'boss' is not an elected official, but part of the bureaucracy.
Your bosses direct report is also your boss (transitive law), and so on till you hit the pinnacle of the executive branch---Trump.
I'm not saying he's some kind of mob-leader boss.