Nobody's Fool But My Own

Stakeholder:?Can you add more buzzwords?

Marketer:?Synergy. Innovation. Disruption. That should hold you for a week.

Stakeholder:?The tagline doesn't feel "transformational."

Marketer:?Neither does your feedback.

Stakeholder:?Can we go bolder? But not?too?bold?

Marketer:?Sure, Schr?dinger's branding.

Stakeholder:?The campaign didn't get enough responses.

Marketer:?Neither did our request for a clear brief.

This was supposed to be one of my classic?funny?blogs. You know, the dry-wit, acerbic ones that have entertained you on many a dark day. A parade of rib-ticklers to lighten your week.

It started that way.

A collection of those classic stakeholder comments that make creatives sigh. The things we've all wanted to say but never could. But the more I wrote, the more I realised, this isn’t just about funny feedback. It’s about something bigger.

It’s about why we don’t challenge things when we should. Why we say yes when we know better. Why pushing back feels risky, even when it’s the right thing to do.

We’re In a weird time. You say the wrong thing on LinkedIn, and someone will drag you over hot coals for it. Sometimes you say anything, and the keyboard warriors will unleash the hounds of hell at your digital door. Get bad feedback, and the knee-jerk reaction is to mock it.

Let's be nice, people.

But here’s the truth: Clients and stakeholders aren’t stupid and marketers aren’t geniuses. We’re all just people trying to get good work out the door. Or get work to do good work.

But there?is?a tension here. Because great work doesn’t come from blind agreement. It comes from pushback. From debate. From asking better questions.

And that’s where it gets tricky when so many of us say yes when we should say no.

We do that because it’s easier. No one teaches us how to challenge a bad idea?without?sounding difficult. Because when you’re new, you think your job is to keep things moving.

That’s how I used to approach it. Smile. Nod. Make it work.

Pushing back? That felt like stepping on a landmine.

The result? Lots of projects and opportunities that went nowhere and made no impact.

The more I’ve worked, the clearer it’s become: If you never challenge, you never change anything. But learning to push back? That takes time.

It's a lesson I'm still learning every day and I don’t always get it right.

Sometimes, I push back too softly, and end up with work that feels?meh.Sometimes, I push back too hard, and the recipient digs in even more.

It’s a constant balancing act; holding the line without losing the room.

But here’s what I’ve learned. The best work happens when you stop being scared of the conversation. Because if you don’t push for better thinking, who will?

I used to just nod along. Smile and wave, smile and wave. Because saying no felt risky.

I thought keeping people happy meant agreeing. I thought pushing back meant being difficult. I thought if I challenged the feedback too much, I’d lose opportunity.

All I did was stunt opportunity.

And sometimes, I still do. Standing your ground is hard. But it gets easier.

Pushing back isn’t about being loud. It’s about being?useful. It’s not about saying no for the sake of it. It’s about getting to?better.

There are some immutable truths that seem obvious but stay obscure to many of us. At least, that’s what I’ve learned.

If you’re going to challenge something, do it with curiosity. Ask the questions no one else is asking. If you think an idea won’t work, don’t just say so. Show something better. If you want to be an expert, act like one. Not by being difficult. Not by saying no to everything. But by making decisions, not just taking orders.

Be an?order maker.

Want better projects? Start by having better conversations.

Want better outcomes? Start acting like the expert in the room.

Want to stop the endless revision loop? Stop saying yes to everything.

Great creatives don’t just make things. They make better decisions.

A lesson I remind myself of every day.

And if someone ever asks?"why the campaign isn’t performing?"

Just say, "neither did the budget."