This was my thinking, too. We had a Lt in the air force that was fond of saying "if you have any concerns, come to me. my door is always open." The problem was that if you did that, your concerns were either blown off or interpreted as personal criticism.

The points made in the OP are good, but saying that is easy. It's when the deadlines start blowing by that the real test comes as to whether he can actually live up to it and not start backsliding.