The Cost of Smart People Carrying Their Own Work
There’s a moment I see all the time.
Someone walks me through what they’re building.
It’s thoughtful. Structured. Legitimately solid.
Then, almost as an aside, they say:
“I just explain it a little differently depending on who I’m talking to.”
Ah yes.
“I’ve got this.”
You’ll recognize it by a few familiar moves:
- adjusting mid-sentence
- translating your own work in real time
- thinking, “they’ll get it once I walk them through it”
And to be fair…
They usually do.
Eventually.
After a few clarifications. A quick example. A slight reframe.
Which creates the illusion:
👉 “It works.”
But what’s actually happening is:
👉 You’re making it work.
Or my personal favorite:
“I just need to build it out properly.”
Right.
Because nothing fixes a shaky signal like adding more structure around it.
If something only lands once you step in and carry it across…
it hasn’t landed yet.
Smart people don’t notice the extra work they’re doing.
They just get very good at doing it.
If you’re noticing this in your own work, it’s worth paying attention to.
Not to fix everything.
Just to see how often you’re the one making it land.