Back when I was a client-side marketer, I noticed a pattern slowing our team down: the habit of holding onto work until it felt perfect.
To break that cycle, I led the team through what I called the “Embrace Your Suckiness” exercise – an honest conversation about what we were each great at, and where we genuinely fell short.
Out of that came the CRAP process: Create, Refine, Act, Perfect.
The rule was simple: if you got stuck at any stage, you passed it to someone else. It increased our speed to market and later that year we won an internal award for the best performing department.
We borrowed IBM’s 70% rule – get it to 70% and go. Let the market, the audience, the world complete the other 30%. Then we refined the campaign.
Fast forward many years, and I applied that same process to a book I just finished – three years in the making.
I sent the first draft to friends and family. What came back was hard to hear after all those late nights and weekends.
But that’s exactly the point.
The people who matter most told me: “It’s good… but it’s not good enough.” Good, because they appreciated the work and effort that went into it. Not good enough, because they respected me enough to push me further.
That feedback is a gift. And it only comes from people willing to tell you what you don’t want to hear.
If you’re early in your career, here’s the most important thing I can share: Surround yourself with those people.
Not people who echo your worldview.
Not people who validate everything you do.
People who are honest – even when it’s uncomfortable.
We live in a time that makes it dangerously easy to only hear voices that agree with us.
Don’t fall for it.
Here’s the truth: Everyone is great at something, and everyone sucks at something. That’s not a flaw – that’s just being human.
You may only have 70%. That’s okay. That’s why you need the right people around you to help you find the rest.
Embrace your suckiness. It just might be your greatest strength. 💪
To learn more about The Hidden Buyer Journey click the link https://carbondesign.com/the-hidden-buyer-journey/
