Judgment?
BB, ( and others ), could it be that the crew involved knew that when they made a judgment call like this, they were certain of being backed up by their boss?
The hypothetical leader says to the aviators: Look, you are trained professionals and used to succeeding in flexible circumstances, BUT, if you are uncertain and have second thoughts about a particular operation, at any phase of it, stop it and call me. Tell whoever that I called it off. We will then figure out what to do next, and I can handle the heat from upstairs.
As some very experienced contributors have noted here, realistic training and experience in the mission are necessary factors in advancing the quality of a pilot's judgment, and all I add is that an environment of feeling able to say knock it off without repercussion might further enable that judgment.