The Consultant Boss Mindset

I once worked with a leader who acted like a highly paid-consultant. During meetings, he parachuted in, observed, critiqued and then presented an invisible slide deck of feedback before vanishing back to his company car. The rest of the week, he gave input, offered opinions and checked boxes. But he remained detached from the actual messy, vital process of doing the work. Sound familiar?

The Consultant Boss mindset is increasingly common and just as increasingly toxic. Leaders are meant to be WITH the team and not observe from a safe distance. When leaders are uninvolved, they insinuate a hierarchical, almost subservient dynamic. Team members begin to feel less like collaborators and more like interns. The focus shifts to pleasing the leader and providing the 'right' reports anticipating their critiques instead of focusing on the team's shared goals. This dynamic makes team members feel as though they are working for the leader rather than with them.

Consultant bosses are:

Masters of input and feedback

They provide unsolicited input 99% of the time, with the remaining 1% being irrelevant. They are quick to point out flaws, suggest alternative approaches and offer a constant stream of "helpful" critiques. Meetings become feedback sessions, with the team primarily serving as a sounding board for the leader's opinions. It's less about collaborative problem-solving and more about receiving directives disguised as suggestions.

Excellent at critique and opinion-giving

Their leadership style revolves around evaluating and judging. They try (kudos for the effort) to analyze reports, pretend to dissect strategies and give directions on everything from project plans to presentation decks. Their focus heavily skews toward opinion-giving (like a judge in American Idol), overshadowing genuine guidance and support. The team feels like they are constantly being graded not guided.

Obsessed with checklist

Progress updates, a.k.a. tick the box, are always at the start and end of the meetings. While some tracking is necessary, for the consultant boss, it becomes the primary mode of engagement and interpretation of his own progress. The checklist becomes the relationship. Human interaction and genuine problem-solving take a back seat to the rigid adherence to unrrelated metrics. Some would even make you download an app where you check the box for them to get updated. It's their source of fulfillment.

Uninvolved in the process

Despite offering copious feedback, they rarely roll up their sleeves and get into the trenches with their team. They are observers, not participants. They might direct strategy from a distance (meaning most of the time, they just dictate), but they are absent when the real work – problem-solving, collaboration, overcoming obstacles – happens. Leadership becomes a spectator sport.

Always demanding senseless reports

Updates, summaries, and progress reports become constant demands. They need to be "in the loop," constantly informed of every development. This produces a culture of upward reporting at the expense of actual productivity. Time spent doing the work is significantly reduced by the time spent reporting on it. This need for reports comes from a lack of knowledge about the project's ins and outs forcing them to rely on constant updates to catch up.

All talk...forever.

They can command, critique, and monitor all day long, but they remain literally and figuratively absent when actively participating in the work, driving solutions, or supporting the team through challenges. Their leadership is marked by illogical ideas and baseless evaluations, not partnership and participation. When reporting to their superior, they find themselves at a disadvantage because they were never involved in the process. To divert attention from their ignorance, they offer personal evaluations of the team, similar to giving out grades at the end of a semester. If their superior asks for more details, they call on a team member to explain. In this way, if problems or errors arise, they can avoid accountability and shift the blame on the team members.

Why is this Imposter walking around in the office?

It boils down to a sense of entitlement.

The position itself can breed entitlement. The title, the corner office, the perceived elevation above the "doers" can form a mindset of superiority. Some leaders begin to believe that their role is solely to direct and evaluate, not to engage in the actual work. This mindset builds a barrier, separating them from the team and the realities of daily operations.

Years of experience can inflate this sense of entitlement. "I've been doing this for twenty years," they might think (or even say). "I know better. My role is to guide, not to get my hands dirty." While experience is valuable, it cannot replace the need for current engagement and ongoing learning. Experience when misused, can become an excuse for detachment and a justification for a purely advisory role.

This sense of entitlement leads to a distorted "I know better" mentality. The consultant boss operates under the assumption that their insights are inherently superior based on their position or tenure. They may discount the on-the-ground knowledge and expertise of their team members favoring their own detached perspectives. This closes off opportunities for learning from the team and can lead to decisions based on incomplete or outdated information.

You are not inherently better. You are not ahead of the team. You are part of it. Leadership is not about elevated pronouncements from a distance. It's about collaborative effort, shared responsibility and mutual respect.

How can a leader trapped in this Consultant Boss mindset get over themselves and become more effective and engaged?

1. Embrace Humility. Humility is not weakness; it's strength. Acknowledge that you do not have all the answers and that your team members possess valuable expertise and perspectives. Be willing to learn from your team, not just lecture to them. Recognize that leadership is about service, not self-elevation.

2. Cultivate a Growth Mindset. Shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset embracing continuous learning and development. Be open to new ideas even if they come from unexpected sources. See challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, both personally and as a team. A growth mindset fuels active participation and collaboration, pushing back against the detached observer stance of a consultant boss.

3. Serve Your Team. Take a Cue from Nordstrom. Nordstrom, a company famed for customer service applies servant leadership principles internally. Their philosophy empowers employees and emphasizes leaders' roles as supporters and enablers not just directors. Adopt a service-oriented approach. Ask yourself: How can I remove roadblocks for my team? How can I provide the resources and support they need to succeed? How can I actively participate in problem-solving and celebrate their wins? Shifting to a servant leadership model fundamentally redefines the leader's role – from univolved consultant to engaged partner.

A leader with a Consultant Boss mindset only does two things: exercise authority over their team and flaunt their power. If you want to overcome this toxic mindset, START SERVING YOUR TEAM.

25 But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

Matthew 20:25-27 (NLT)

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REMEMBER

• The Consultant Boss mindset, characterized by constant critique and detachment from the actual work undermines team morale and productivity.

• This style stems from a sense of entitlement fueled by position, experience, and a distorted "I know better" mentality.

• To overcome this, leaders must embrace humility, cultivate a growth mindset, adopt a servant leadership approach, and actively engage with and support their teams.

REFLECT

• Have I ever exhibited consultant boss tendencies in my leadership style? If so, in what ways?

• How can I actively shift my focus from critique and feedback to engagement and support in my interactions with my team?

• What specific steps can I take to cultivate a more humble and service-oriented approach to leadership?

RESPOND

• Identify one project or task where you have been acting as a consultant boss. This week, actively participate in the process, offering hands-on support and collaboration.

• Schedule a team meeting to specifically ask your team: "How can I better support you and remove roadblocks in your work?" Listen actively to their responses and commit to implementing actionable changes.

• Research Nordstrom's leadership principles further. Identify 2-3 specific Nordstrom practices you can adapt and apply to your own leadership approach this month.