Look at your career honestly. Where have you genuinely accumulated expertise? Not “worked on projects involving X” but “developed judgment that others lack about X.”
This is the foundation of your I.
Common sources of depth:
Industry knowledge from years in a vertical
Functional expertise from repeated exposure to similar problems
Technical skills from hands-on implementation
Relationship capital from years in a specific ecosystem
Key question: If someone gave you 100 problems in your domain, could you sort them into “seen this before” and “new territory” in minutes? If yes, you have depth. If not, you have exposure—which is different.
Step 2: Commit to the Narrow Path
Stop trying to be well-rounded. Deliberately decline opportunities that would broaden but not deepen. This feels risky—it is risky—but it’s the only path to genuine expertise.
Practical moves:
Turn down projects outside your domain (even interesting ones)
Double down on industry conferences and relationships in your space
Write, speak, and publish exclusively about your domain
Build your reputation as “the person” for your specific thing
The goal is to become synonymous with your expertise. When someone says “we need someone who knows X,” your name should come up automatically.
Step 3: Build Your AI Stack
Identify the AI tools that amplify your specific expertise. This isn’t about generic AI literacy—it’s about finding the combinations that make your particular domain knowledge more powerful.
Questions to answer:
Which AI tools help me research faster in my domain?
What AI-enabled services can I offer that I couldn’t before?
How do I stay current as AI capabilities evolve?
The I-shaped consultant doesn’t just “use AI.” They have a personalized AI stack tailored to their domain that makes their expertise 10x more productive.
Step 4: Price for Expertise
I-shaped consultants shouldn’t compete on hours. They should compete on outcomes, access, and judgment. Restructure your pricing to reflect the value of genuine expertise rather than the cost of time.
When you’re the definitive expert in a narrow domain, you don’t negotiate hourly rates. You set the price for your judgment.
The Key Formula
The most powerful consultants of the next decade will combine:
Component
What It Provides
Deep Expertise (One Domain)
Judgment, pattern recognition, tacit knowledge
+ AI Amplification
Breadth, speed, scale
= Expert at Scale
Premium value that neither can achieve alone
The I alone can solve problems in their domain but is limited by personal bandwidth. They can only work on so many projects, analyze so much data, serve so many clients.
AI alone can provide breadth and speed but lacks the judgment to know what matters. It can generate options but not evaluate them with domain-specific wisdom.
I + AI together creates something neither can achieve alone. The expert’s judgment guides the AI’s analysis. The AI’s speed amplifies the expert’s reach. One specialist can now do the work that previously required a team—but with the quality that only expertise provides.
The Bottom Line
The career advice has changed. No longer: be well-rounded. Now: go deep, go narrow, let AI handle the rest.
The consultants who thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones who know a little about everything. They’ll be the ones who know everything about one thing—and know how to amplify that knowledge with AI.
The rise of the I-shaped consultant isn’t just a trend. It’s a structural shift in what expertise means, how it’s delivered, and who gets paid for it.
Choose your “I” wisely. Go deeper than anyone else. And never stop learning to use the AI tools that will amplify your advantage.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
