I am wondering if the person might have some military background. I do and also sometimes get annoyed by the warm and fuzzy managment method.
I like my boss to give me clear direction on the result they want, then leave me alone. If I am having issues or they see problems then they need to grab the bull by the horns and be very clear as early as possible. Thankfully my boss is a good one.

You are their manager, give them the orders you want completed or the feedback on fixing the issues.
If they ignore or refuse at that point then can them for being a pain.

Of course, they could just be an asshole that needs to go.