I've talked to people at McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte, Accenture. Partner-track folks. People with incredible track records. Actually successful people.

And underneath the confidence—underneath the ability to run a room and optimize a p&l and manage a $50M transformation—they all shared the same anxiety: "I've never actually built anything. I just come in, do some work, and leave. Will anyone actually hire me to stay?"

It's the consulting stigma.

Here's what makes it real: the consulting business model is literally built on short-term involvement. You're an expert who comes in, diagnoses the problem, implements the initial solution, and leaves. You're not accountable for whether it works three years later. You're not there for the messy execution phase. You're there for the thinking, maybe the initial rollout, and then you move on.

So the anxiety isn't irrational. It's pattern recognition.

You have spent 5-10 years doing exactly one thing: coming in, solving a problem, and leaving. You've done it 30, 40, 50 times. You're really good at it. And now you're wondering: Can I actually do the opposite? Can I stay with something hard long enough to see it through?

And because you can't point to a time in your career when you've done that, the fear feels justified.

Here's what happens next: You get stuck. You tell yourself you need to prove something to yourself first. Like you need a project where you build something completely end-to-end—from diagnosis through execution through long-term stabilization—before you can credibly move into a corporate role. You think you need to know for certain that you can commit before you even interview.

So you delay. You stay at your firm another year. You tell yourself you're "building your story." But really, you're waiting for certainty that won't come from staying in consulting, because consulting doesn't give you that experience.

Meanwhile, the anxiety grows. The longer you stay without trying, the more evidence you have that you can't do it.

But here's what actually matters: hiring managers don't need you to have already built something end-to-end. They never will. They're not evaluating you on whether you've personally executed a three-year transformation. They're evaluating whether you can contribute to a transformation. Whether you can move a problem forward. Whether you can see around corners and communicate what you see.

What a hiring manager actually values when they hire a consultant is this: You know how to see patterns in complex systems. You can communicate to C-suite executives and make them believe you. You can move things forward when the path isn't clear. You've managed multiple stakeholders with competing agendas and gotten them to move in the same direction. You've solved real problems under pressure.

Those capabilities are real. And they're exactly what execution requires.

The "I've never built something" feeling isn't evidence that you can't. It's imposter syndrome wearing a consulting costume.

Here's the distinction that matters: You haven't tested whether you can stay. But you've never tested anything else either. You've never interviewed for a corporate role. You've never been inside an operating company for six months. You've never had a boss who isn't a partner. You've never had accountability for profit and loss.

You're anxious about something you've never tried, and you're treating that anxiety as evidence that you can't do it.

That's the trap.

The real question isn't "Can I build something?" You already know the answer is yes—you've just never had the opportunity to prove it to yourself. The real question is: "What would actually keep me engaged if I stayed somewhere?"

Most consultants who ask themselves that honestly get a specific answer. It's not abstract. It's not "I want to make an impact" (that's consultant-speak for nothing). It's something concrete: "I want to see a product I designed actually work in the market." Or "I want to build a team and watch them succeed over years, not months." Or "I want to own a P&L and know that my decisions directly affected the outcome."

Those are the real reasons to stay. Not proving something to yourself. Not checking a box. Actual engagement with actual work.

The consulting stigma is real—hiring managers do notice your background. Some will be skeptical. But that's not the barrier. The barrier is you deciding you need to be certain before you try.

And you won't get certainty. You'll only get evidence.

The consulting model didn't break you. It just never asked you to build something, so you never found out whether you'd want to.

Find that out before you decide you can't.

This fear shows up differently depending on your level and background—and it's much more specific than "I'm scared I can't commit." I mapped out what's actually going on, what the data shows, and how to actually test whether your anxiety is real or just untested.

Read it here: "The Consulting Stigma: What's Real, What's In Your Head"

-San

P.S. If you want support turning your consulting background into a story hiring managers actually understand and value, book a call and we’ll walk you through it.