It’s called framing: The way you start a conversation sets its direction. The person you’re talking to reacts to the first thing you say. Unless your partner quickly responds with “whoa, let’s talk about something else” or “let’s approach this from a different angle”, the way you start a conversation strongly affects where it goes.
This is extra true when you’re in a position of authority. Your opening to a conversation still sets its context. But also: People are watching you, looking for your intentions and opinions. They’ll make best guesses about your perspective, and then they will be less likely to offer conflicting opinions. The more different an alternative is from your perceived preferences, the less likely it is that someone you have authority over will bring that option up.
People new to authority often say this drives them nuts. They dearly miss honest and direct feedback.
(To people without authority, of course, this trade-off tends to sound tolerable.)
