By CPA Hillary Oonge Leadership Strategist, Personal Effectiveness Coach & COO, SKM Africa LLP
“We always live in the present. The future is something we build in our minds.” – Marcus Aurelius
In the boardrooms I sit in, the coaching conversations I hold, and the lives I observe around me, one truth repeatedly pierces through the noise: we are dangerously seduced by the illusion of tomorrow. We glorify the future with spreadsheets, vision boards, and grand ambitions — but in our pursuit of what could be, we often abandon what is.
You cannot sell the future if you are constantly trying to survive the present. This is the tragedy of modern professionalism: people want to be trusted for their promise, not for their performance. I’ve been there. I’ve coached professionals with dazzling visions of impact, people who want to become CFOs, partners, or founders — yet remain stuck in cycles of half-execution, distracted presence, and shallow results.
We forget that trust, like a sword, must be sharpened. And the sharpening does not happen in ideas or in dreams — it happens in deliverables, consistency, and the credibility of execution.
Strategy Without Realism Is a Hard Sell
“Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison
In a recent executive strategy session, I asked a promising young finance leader what progress she had made on her roadmap to CFO. She shared a beautiful five-year plan, complete with certifications, networking goals, and an MBA. But when I asked about her present — her team’s KPIs, her contribution to margin improvement, her role in strategic decision-making — there was silence. My friend Kevin Kinge knows how this smells like.
We cannot afford to be romantic about the future if we are casual about today. Plans and Strategy that are not rooted in the reality of present execution is not inspiring — it’s irresponsible.
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey warns us against killing the goose that lays the golden egg. In our careers, that “goose” is the present moment — our habits, relationships, credibility, and deliverables. But what do many of us professionals do instead? We are chasing degrees but ignore the basics of team leadership. We (professionals seeking for better) are busy reposting motivational quotes but miss deadlines. We talk about building networks but never truly connect. We want the job title but skip the grunt work. We seek long-term wealth but neglect health. We want respect but don’t return calls or emails on time.
We’re building castles in the air, without pouring concrete on the ground.
The Present Is Where Trust Is Earned
“Success is never owned, it is only rented — and the rent is due every day.” – Rory Vaden
Professionals today confuse potential with performance. But potential has no purchase order. Results do. I’ve seen people get hired — not for their ability to theorize, but because of their track record. Yes, storytelling matters. But in the words of Jim Collins, “greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.”
Discipline. is that uncomfortable, unpopular word. Yet, it is the ingredient missing in most failed promises. We want the trust of tomorrow but don’t want to show up on time today. We desire influence but don’t honor follow-through. We dream of leading large teams but won’t hold one-on-one check-ins with our current reports.
The Currency of the Future Is the Integrity of Today
There is a deeply personal story I often share. Years ago, I was entrusted with leading a financial turnaround project for a nonprofit struggling with liquidity and morale. The board wanted a 3-year plan. But I knew that if I didn’t win the next three months, they’d never believe in three years. So I stopped talking about long-term strategy in meetings. I focused instead on short-term wins, on rebuilding confidence, on fixing daily processes. We fixed cash flow, improved communication, and paid salaries on time — something that hadn’t happened in months.
It was those small deliverables — those acts of present faithfulness — that restored trust and made room for vision.
And so I say to every ambitious professional reading this: Do not betray the present. It is the canvas on which the future is painted. If your today is littered with excuses, your tomorrow will never gain traction.
Let us make Peace With the “Now”
“The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Make peace with the now. Embrace its discomfort. Don’t run from today’s metrics, meetings, mistakes, or moments of monotony. They are not beneath you — they are building you. Every trust deposit you make today — by delivering, by showing up, by listening, by executing — is laying bricks for a future that will stand.
The world may applaud your dreams. But it will reward your discipline. Because while potential is admired, only performance is paid.
Management consultant, Personal Effectiveness and Leadership Coach.
I am a COO and Partner in charge of management consulting and Outsourced Services (MCOS) at SKM Africa , A community Manager and instructor at FPKE (FinanceProfessionalsKe) and Board Member at Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF)
I SPECIALIZE IN
Peak Performance | Strategy | Mindset | Execution
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