Conversation with a Consultant (opens in new tab)

This is funny until you work with this guy, he's completely incompetent, but he does everything with the attitude of detached superiority, and your management is ready to hear him tell them how to raise their kids (if he charges this much he must be INCREDIBLE).

Not an easy way to deal with this stuff.

God, I cringed through the whole thing. He went instantly into defensive+verbose mode.

Did the guy end up doing any real work?

Wow, that reads like a conversation with Eliza.

My God. If I ever heard the bit from "Well, if you worked for me directly [...]" I would've just stopped him in his tracks and said enough. Even though it's text, any interpretation of that utterance and the ones afterward are completely degrading to the listener.

That was painful to read. I almost expected "What would you say you'd do here?" to show up in the conversation.