Expertise is Not a Commodity: Rethinking the Value of Learning and Development Specialists

The reason I am writing this article is that, over the past year, I’ve encountered a recurring challenge with clients across various industries and regions. Time and again, I find myself having the same frustrating conversations. Just because my consulting firm doesn’t carry the name of a large, famous consulting company, clients feel entitled to negotiate our consulting charges aggressively.

This issue becomes even more pronounced during workshops. Clients frequently say, “Instead of a one-day workshop, why not do it as two days—but charge me the same rate as one day?” It’s disheartening and a real struggle, especially when these conversations happen one after another. These interactions reveal a deeper issue: the lack of respect for professionals and specialists in our field, simply because we don’t carry the prestige of a global brand.

We are specialists in what we do—foresight strategies, regenerative principles, and tailored learning solutions. These are not skills that everyone possesses. They require years of experience, learning, training, and critical thinking. Why is it so difficult for clients to see and respect that? This article is my attempt to shed light on the value of specialized expertise and why it deserves better recognition, regardless of whether it comes from a multinational consulting giant or an independent firm.

In the ever-evolving professional landscape, businesses are increasingly seeking specialists to solve complex problems, develop future-ready strategies, and foster organizational transformation. However, there’s a growing disconnect between the expectations placed on these specialists and the appreciation for their unique expertise. Learning and Development (L&D) specialists, foresight strategists, and regenerative principles experts often find themselves undervalued, treated as commodities rather than as indispensable partners.

This devaluation becomes evident when clients request extended sessions or additional deliverables—sometimes even at no extra cost—without considering the level of expertise involved. It’s time to confront this issue and establish why specialized skills deserve appropriate recognition.

Specialized Skills Are Rare, Not Commodities

Being a foresight strategist or a regenerative principles expert is not a generic role. These professionals are akin to surgeons or architects, applying years of training, critical thinking, and foresight to address unique challenges. For instance:

• Foresight Strategists help organizations navigate uncertainty by identifying emerging trends and crafting future-ready strategies. This requires not just knowledge of the present but the ability to envision potential scenarios and their implications.
• Regenerative Principles Experts go beyond sustainability to design systems that restore and rejuvenate, aligning businesses with the needs of both people and the planet.

Imagine engaging an architect to design a structurally sound skyscraper but expecting them to also act as the builder, interior designer, and landscaper—all without increasing their fee. It’s an unreasonable expectation, yet L&D specialists face similar situations.

The Invisible Work Behind Expertise

Clients often see the polished outcomes of a session but rarely understand the hours of preparation, research, and customization that specialists undertake. For example:

• A two-hour workshop may involve weeks of preparation, including studying the client’s industry, tailoring examples to their context, and designing exercises that yield actionable insights.
• A foresight framework requires analyzing industry trends, conducting interviews, and synthesizing complex data into an actionable strategy. This is not something any generalist can do.

Take the case of a workshop designed to help an organization build a regenerative business model. A regenerative strategist might spend weeks mapping the company’s operations, identifying areas for improvement, and developing scenarios to guide decision-making. Yet, clients often expect this level of effort to be included in a one-day session fee.

Why the Right Investment Matters

There’s an old adage: You get what you pay for. Specialists provide transformative value, but that value comes with an appropriate cost. Cutting corners or undervaluing expertise can lead to compromised outcomes.

Consider these examples:

1. Corporate Leadership Program: A global company hired an L&D specialist to design a leadership program. The sessions were expected to run for five hours each day over three days. However, mid-program, the client requested additional topics and extended hours without adjusting the fee. The quality of engagement dropped as the specialist had to condense critical content into limited time, ultimately affecting the program's impact.
2. Foresight in Energy Transition: An energy company sought foresight expertise to envision a post-fossil fuel future. The strategist spent months conducting research, gathering stakeholder input, and crafting a roadmap. Despite delivering groundbreaking insights, the client pushed for follow-up sessions without acknowledging the additional effort required, undermining the strategist’s capacity to deliver the same high-quality work.

Drawing Parallels to Medicine and Engineering

Specialized expertise should be treated like that of medical consultants or structural engineers. A general practitioner might provide basic care, but for critical conditions, a specialist is indispensable—and compensated accordingly. Similarly:

• A surgeon spends years mastering their craft. You wouldn’t expect a heart surgeon to perform at the same rate as a general practitioner.
• An engineer designing a state-of-the-art bridge is paid more than one overseeing a routine building project because the stakes, complexity, and expertise required are vastly different.

The same principle applies to foresight strategists and regenerative experts. Their work often determines whether an organization thrives in the future or falters.

Moving Towards Mutual Respect

For clients to fully benefit from the expertise they seek, they must shift their mindset and understand the value specialists provide. Here’s how this can be achieved:

1. Acknowledge the Depth of Expertise: Understand that foresight strategists, regenerative experts, and L&D specialists possess rare, highly valuable skills that require years of training and experience.
2. Invest in Quality Outcomes: Ensure that adequate time, resources, and compensation are allocated to deliver meaningful results. Shortchanging these elements compromises the engagement’s success.
3. Educate Stakeholders: Specialists should proactively communicate the effort involved in preparation, customization, and delivery, making clients aware of the value they’re receiving.
4. Avoid Commoditization: Treat specialists as partners who contribute to long-term success, not as transactional service providers.

Examples of Mutual Respect in Action

1. Tech Startup Transformation: A foresight strategist was hired by a startup struggling to scale its operations. The client recognized the strategist’s expertise, paid for additional sessions, and saw a 30% increase in operational efficiency within six months.
2. HR Leadership Development: A multinational corporation engaged an L&D specialist to revamp its HR leadership program. By investing in a multi-phase approach and providing the necessary resources, the company cultivated a pipeline of future-ready leaders who drove significant organizational growth.

Conclusion: Expertise Deserves Respect

In an era of rapid change and uncertainty, engaging specialists is essential for navigating complexity and achieving transformative outcomes. Yet, this relationship must be built on mutual respect and a shared understanding of value.

The next time you engage an expert, consider the depth of experience, the time invested, and the outcomes delivered. Recognize that specialists in foresight strategies and regenerative principles are not commodities—they are indispensable partners in shaping a better future.