It is not uncommon to find executives who swear by their administrative assistants, while the rest of the employees swear at them. The issue behind this is power. An assistant who controls access to a topsider and information from that topsider is a power source.
Some executives have assistants who know how to use this power effectively by keeping the topsider organized, informed, and free from unnecessary interruptions. Other assistants use this power as a weapon.
One of the more effective ways to handle this situation is to deal directly with the owner. When doing so, do not waste time bashing the assistant, since the owner is not going to hear it. Rather, focus on the projects in which information has been withheld, and on the problems that these communication blockages have caused. Let him draw his own conclusions based on the facts you present.
In concert with this, on future projects that emanate through this assistant, try to generate some written documentation. With these approaches, you are more likely to get correct information the first time, and get the project done correctly the first time, too.
| 
