There is way too much emphasis on the final product here. Many of you seem to think there is a "standard," for how good a record should be, and fear that you will be held accountable if a record isn't good enough. You are afraid it will "suck," and don't want to be blamed for it. Please, please, if you do nothing else in your career, get over this fear.
Operating from fear of sucking will prevent you from recognizing the other, more important aspects of a session. The record may end up "good" in your eyes, or it may "suck," but you have only limited control over this, and you should honestly stop focusing on this. Ultimately, such judgements are not even yours to make.
In poker and other disciplines with an element of chance in them, this is called "results-oriented thinking," and it is to be rooted-out. If you happen to win a hand at cards, great, but that isn't the object of the game. The object is to make decisions that increase the likelyhood of success and decrease the likelyhood of having problems. Making good decisions is the object of the process. The results will be what they will be, but the process, you have complete control over that.
If you do something stupid, and the results are accidentally good, you should not use that as a validation of the stupid decision. You should recognize how fortunate you were. If you do something smart, and the results are bad for any of the reasons they might be bad, that also does not negate proper technique. It means you have more work to do, that's all.
The record you are working on will be good or not based on an infinite number of variables. The only ones you can affect must be taken seriously, and you must apply your skills to the situation at hand, not as an absolute method. Nothing is ever right all the time, so don't insist on anything.
For my money, the most important aspect of a session is how comfortable the band is with the process. The band has to feel that they and their music are being taken seriously. This requires attention to detail, willingness to adapt to circumstances and the stamina to go the extra mile. Make the band comfortable with the process, listen to their wishes, take them seriously, and the session will be a success, whether you think the record "sucks" or not.
Don't worry about whether or not a record "sucks." Many records that "suck" are masterpieces or small successes in the lives of those who made them. Give every record a chance to be that kind of a success at least.