Why do staff hate working with consultants? It’s a question many staff avoid asking directly, but it shows up in meeting side comments, disengaged participation, and sometimes open resistance.

And it’s not about staff being difficult. More often, it’s because no one told them what to expect—or how their work might shift.

As a consultant, I come in with only an external perception of the organization. Over the years, I’ve developed a practice of getting to know staff, particularly staff that are directly involved in the program/service, strategic planning, or research project I’m hired to work on.

After several projects, I noticed something: Staff may be welcoming to a consultant, but if given the opportunity, they probably wouldn’t work with one.

And it’s not because they’re unwilling to collaborate. It’s often due to:

• Not being aware that a consultant is coming;
• Not having a say in the consultant hiring process;
• The consultant not understanding the organizational culture;
• No expectations for how to interact with the consultant;
• The consultant’s inability to understand context; and
• Not clear plan for what to do next after the consultant leaves

A consultant is suddenly looped in, given access to meetings, projects, data, and strategy sessions—without staff ever being given context, clarity, or choice. That disconnect can feel frustrating and disempowering.

In many nonprofit and philanthropic spaces, consultants arrive as part of a strategic effort to fill gaps in capacity or lead big-picture projects. But what’s often missing is a critical heads-up to the staff who’ll be working alongside them.

In this month’s Ask Nicole, I’m unpacking some of the real reasons staff don’t like working with consultants. This post is for the program managers, coordinators, and team leads who are expected to engage with consultants but were never fully looped in. This post is also for the staff members who hire consultants.

Let’s talk about why this matters, what you can do when you find yourself in this situation, and how you can support your staff before the consultant shows up.