How to Become a High-Impact Contributor (HIC) with Skills
Want to stand out as a developer in today’s fast-changing world? It’s not just about writing code anymore.
In this session, we discussed how to become a High-Impact Contributor (HIC) by combining solid fundamentals with smart use of AI skills.
Let’s break it down in a simple, practical way.
The Big Shift: Why This Matters Now #
Technology keeps changing. Fast.
Professor Isidro explains it clearly by comparing past tech waves:
Professor Isidro: Everything is always changing. We have a commitment to ourselves: we must understand and adapt to those changes.
From personal computers to cloud computing, every wave created more opportunities, not fewer. AI is just the next wave.
The mistake? Following hype instead of focusing on real value.
Professor Isidro: Don’t be affected by hype. Try to do your best with the tools you have right now.
What Is a High-Impact Contributor (HIC)? #
A High-Impact Contributor is someone who:
- Solves real business problems
- Works across multiple roles
- Uses tools (including AI) to scale their impact
Instead of doing just one job, you act like a mini team.
Professor Isidro: One person, multiple roles in parallel. You orchestrate your software agents.
Think of yourself as:
- Developer
- Product thinker
- Problem solver
- Decision supporter
The 70-20-10 Rule #
This is one of the most important ideas from the talk.
Professor Isidro: 70% of success is people and process, 20% is technology, and 10% is the AI model.
What this means in practice: #
-
70% — Problem & Process
- What are you building?
- Who is it for?
- What problem are you solving?
-
20% — Technology
- Language, frameworks, tools
-
10% — AI Model
- GPT, Claude, Gemini… doesn’t matter much
If you don’t understand the problem, even the best AI won’t help you.
AI Skills: Your “Virtual Team” #
Here’s where things get interesting.
Instead of using AI as a simple chatbot, you can create skills, reusable instructions that act like virtual employees.
Professor Isidro: A skill is basically a system prompt that you can load on demand.
Examples of AI roles you can create: #
- Project manager → summarize meetings, extract tasks
- Financial assistant → analyze costs, calculate risks
- Legal assistant → review contracts
- Marketing assistant → generate campaigns
- Developer assistant → review code, suggest improvements
Professor Isidro: I’m not replacing professionals. I’m trying to talk to them better.
Why Skills Make You More Impactful #
Without skills:
- Everyone uses AI differently
- Results are inconsistent
- Knowledge stays in people’s heads
With skills:
- You standardize how work is done
- You can share knowledge across a team
- You build reusable “playbooks”
Professor Isidro: Your skills can be your company playbooks.
You can even:
- Store them in GitHub
- Version them
- Share them across your team
Don’t Skip the Fundamentals #
AI is powerful, but it’s not magic.
If you don’t understand the basics, you won’t know when AI is wrong.
Example from the talk:
Professor Isidro: If you delegate database modeling, it may choose UUIDs as primary keys. But joins with UUIDs are slower than integers.
If you don’t know this:
- You’ll accept bad designs
- Your system will have performance issues
AI can generate code. Only you can validate it.
Think Like a Product Developer (Not Just a Coder) #
This is where many developers get stuck.
Professor Isidro: If your software doesn’t solve someone’s problem, it’s just useless lines of code.
To become high-impact, ask:
- Who is the user?
- What problem am I solving?
- Why would someone pay for this?
- How is this different from competitors?
This mindset makes you valuable.
Start Small: A Simple Action Plan #
Don’t overcomplicate it. Try this:
- Pick a task you do often (takes ~1–2 hours)
- Ask AI to help solve it
- Refine the result
- Turn it into a reusable skill
- Use it in your daily work
Professor Isidro: Don’t trust me. Try it yourself and validate in your routine.
Real Example: Automating Work Without Extra Cost #
Professor Isidro shared a practical case:
Professor Isidro: I used Claude to automatically reply to messages with a book link. I didn’t need another paid tool. I used what I already had.
Lesson:
- You don’t need more tools
- You need better use of the tools you already have
Final Thoughts #
Becoming a High-Impact Contributor isn’t about chasing every new AI trend. It’s about:
- Understanding problems deeply
- Using AI strategically
- Building reusable workflows (skills)
- Thinking beyond code