I understand what you say; you want people to solve problems, not to execute tasks. But, there're some points that I figured out myself during my career that may be useful:

> I want them to figure it out

Can they actually figure it out without someone explaining some oddly specific detail related to the company/domain/country?

If you have some very precise requirement that you absolutely want to be satisfied, are you telling them, or do you expect them to "figure it out" because "it's the only right way to do it"?

If they cannot figure it out, and they cannot REALIZE they should have until too late, will they be punished for their mistakes, or are they allowed to make mistakes while learning by themselves?

I find that many people, especially bosses/managers/CEOs/whoever has/thinks having the power, think that their view is the Only One View; who does things differently is Just Wrong (as you say yourself about your past bosses), but they DO NOT CARE about explaining their wishes to whoever is working with them. Since this is quite a prevalent attitude, people tend to ask details about their jobs. This isn't bad, and most people, once they feel safe and properly valued, just stop, in my own experience.