Responsibility, Results, and the Myth of “Not Enough”
I’ve learned over the years that sometimes, doing your job brilliantly still isn’t enough. Not because the work wasn’t good, or because you missed something, but because the person it was for doesn’t want to accept their role in the result.
It happens more often than people admit, especially in creative industries where emotion and ego play as big a part as skill. You can deliver exceptional work, go above and beyond, and still end up being told it’s not enough. Why? Because success makes people excited, but accountability makes them squirm.
In publishing, marketing, design, or any results-based business, the work is only half the equation. You can create the perfect campaign, publish a beautifully produced book, or engineer a watertight strategy, but if the client refuses to engage with what comes next, the results will always fall short.
I’ve seen it more times than I can count. Someone hires a professional and outlines a reasonable goal - or so it sounds. “I want a beautifully produced autobiography where my story is told in a captivating way.” What they really mean is, “I want a Times bestseller, a slot on Graham Norton, and enough royalties to retire on.”
Unspoken expectations have a habit of sitting quietly in the background, waiting to dismantle even the best work. Every milestone can be achieved, yet the result still fails to match the fantasy that was never realistic to begin with.
When reality falls short of the dream left unspoken, frustration finds its outlet. It rarely lands on the person who failed to promote, participate, or understand the time true success demands; spoiler: it lands on the one who did the work.
It’s human nature. Admitting we might be part of the problem is uncomfortable, so it’s easier to push that discomfort onto someone else.
When we attach our identity to an outcome, any shortfall feels like personal failure. But the truth is, the market doesn’t care how much we wanted something to succeed, it only responds to reality. Ego tells people they’re the exception. Reality reminds them they’re not.
The most productive working relationships come from a shared understanding of what’s possible and who’s responsible for each part of it. Expertise can create opportunity, but it can’t guarantee engagement.
There’s a quiet freedom in recognising where your responsibility ends. A professional can deliver exceptional work, communicate clearly, and uphold every promise, but none of that can guarantee how the work will be received or acted upon.
What can’t be done is forcing someone to understand the process, engage with it, or take ownership of their role in the outcome.
Carrying that weight for clients who won’t carry it for themselves only leads to exhaustion, resentment, and a gradual erosion of confidence. (Trust me, I know!)
In creative industries, results live in that grey area between what we control and what we can only influence. We can publish, promote, and push, but we can’t buy every book, write every review, or create the momentum the world decides to give.
It’s the part of the process where ownership shifts, and the work begins its life beyond us.
My advice: separate the two: the work, and the world’s reaction to it. One you can own. The other you can only witness.
If you’d like to discuss your book, (and have no hidden agendas 😉) please get in touch,