Unfortunately, knowing what exactly it is that each individual actor needs to accomplish their goals is not an easy accomplishment. There are those actors who are willing to listen to whatever the director says and try and comply with them. On the other hand there are actors who are very strong-willed and have their own ideas set in stone. Sometimes the director must be willing to give in a little in order to reach the desired result. The best and most creative directors will constantly be in search of solutions, and will usually find them.
Some directors are willing to change everything possible in order to appease their actors.
Other directors, like as Brian De Palma, have been known to be very strict on their set and inform actors from the very beginning that they run the show. A director can make or break the entire experience for an actor. Good directors can create great experiences, while poor directors can create unworkable situations. Actors are looking for directors to protect them on the set. By this I mean that they want the set to be a place where they are able to transform themselves into the character they are supposed to be, without any reservations or distractions.