He promptly blamed his administrator for fouling up. Differentiate between work and personal issues. Professionalism is also about keeping your eyes and ears open but your mouth shut. Some people feel that secretaries who become powerful gatekeepers impose their own rules on how information should be channelled. Instead of hoarding, people in the New Economy should manage and exchange information, particularly the e-mail.
Secretaries often have access to their bosses' mailbox.
You may want to simply brief him and trash or file the document. Know who you should redirect action items to. If you can act on his behalf, do it but keep him informed of what you are doing. Thus, your phone skills also reflect your professionalism. It is crucial that bosses and secretaries sit down and lay down the rules and preferences at the start.