Too many leaders operate like that.
Head of the company where I first worked as an engineer - sold ideas like that and would come back have the techs work it out.
Only difference was that Alan at least knew something about what he was selling. Enough that usually the guys could come up with something... ...beleive me, it was never engineered in the true sense. But that wasn't a big problem until it moved toward making more than a handful - then it got interesting. Being mechanical or electro-mechanical, it didn't face the issues you're dealing with.
