Edit and retouch portraits

I have a client shoot: eight headshots for the marketing director due Friday. Send the cleaned, color-corrected portraits to Mike in marketing and to Jenna in talent for approval, with Mike first for selection and Jenna only after Mike picks the four to keep. Before sending, check that skin tones match across the set, remove stray hairs, and ensure each image is 300 dpi and cropped to 8x10 with a 0.25-inch bleed.

Before I hand these portraits to marketing, make them impossible to reject: pull the main subject slightly forward in light and sharpness, tame shine without flattening texture, and balance skin tone across the set so the four finalists read as a coherent group. Call out any faces that need more shooting or that will look inconsistent on the website.

We just sent four finalists to Mike in marketing and he replied that one is 'too soft' but didn't say which. I fear he'll ask for a reshoot and blame me for lack of focus. I can't tell if it's lens softness, motion blur, or an editing choice. What's the most likely cause to check quickly, and what do I send Mike now to keep approval moving?

Over the last six months I keep losing time matching skin tones and sharpening consistently across groups of portraits, and stakeholders keep asking for 'more pop' after approval. What editing habit or checklist should I change so final sets are consistent, quicker to deliver, and harder for marketing to nitpick?