I can't change what others want. Sometimes I can help them get it though.
But not always.
Sometimes, people don't know what they want. And that would be fine. Because I can ask them questions and they can ask questions and together we can figure it out.
Other times though, some are adamant they know what they want. They are also adamant they know how to get it. They just don't have the time to do it in their busy schedules.
These are the people that will micro-manage and dictate what you should do based on their "experience" of what must be done. They'll review minute details that don't matter and gloss over the important accessibility issues. They'll drown you in technical implementations and subtle variations and interpretations of the WCAG. All the while, I'll be amazed how much they know and prick up my ears to learn from them.
Sooner or later, I'll be disappointed. They don't know their Tab from their Enter key. I'll have wasted my time on projects that led nowhere.
I now try to sniff these people out. The sooner I know, the better.
Because what they'll do is subject me to a numbing day-to-day grind where I'll run in circles thinking I'm making things more accessible.
If I wait to hear "we've asked people and everyone said they use a mouse" as a justification for not doing keyboard navigation, it'll be too late.
I constantly have to remind myself not to surrender my time to lost causes. I can make things better.
Just not for everyone.