I think this is the crux of the issue. The author's examples seem to have the sound of authority because they are coming from a person of authority. There are h

I think this is the crux of the issue. The author's examples seem to have the sound of authority because they are coming from a person of authority. There are however, ways around this. For example, using the first quote the author used, instead of outright saying "maybe just a darker shade of blue there" the boss should question why a darker shade of blue wasn't chosen. Perhaps the employee has a good reason for it. Maybe they didn't consider that shade. Either way, a suggestion is made but doesn't sound like authoritative directive.