Last week, I posed a simple question to a group of seasoned executives at the Executive Table live Recording by Mary Wangari Wamae as well as Live Podcast by FinanceProfessionalsKE and thought leaders: “Work hard or work smart?” It’s one of those questions that seems to demand a binary answer—inviting people to pick sides, as if success lives solely in one camp.
Mary Wangari Wamae Wamae offered a nuanced response rooted in wisdom and balance. Prof. CPA. Elizabeth Kalunda Muvui-PhD, CPA-K, CPM framed it with academic precision and Catherine Musakali decried the decline of doers in corporate but it was Tom Gitogo reply that arrested my attention and held it: “The common word in the two is ‘work.’ Just work.”
In a world that glorifies productivity hacks and shortcut culture, this response was both grounding and confronting. We often obsess over optimizing, systematizing, and strategizing our way out of effort. But the truth remains: work—real, consistent, sweat-on-your-brow kind of work—is non-negotiable.
As James Clear wrote in #AtomicHabits:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
And what are systems, really, if not a structured way of working? Whether it’s 5 AM grind sessions or a brilliantly automated workflow, the operative word remains the same: work.
This isn’t to diminish the value of strategy or efficiency. In fact, I’ve built my consulting and coaching practice around the idea that alignment precedes acceleration. But alignment without action is inertia in disguise. It is in doing that things get built.
As John Maxwell puts it: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
When I think of Tom Gitogo—a leader who has consistently shown up with integrity and purpose—I understand why he would cut through the noise. His career is not a path of passive observation but of deliberate contribution. He has worked—sometimes hard, sometimes smart, but always worked.
The “#smart vs. #hard” debate is, as he rightly pointed out, a false dichotomy. It creates a pseudo-intellectual space for us to talk about success without earning it. It pits elbow grease against elegance, forgetting that the most enduring leaders blend both.
Take Angela Duckworth’s concept of “Grit,” for example. In her best-selling book by the same name, she defines grit as passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement. It’s not just talent. It’s not even just effort. Its effort applied intelligently, consistently, and with resilience.
In other words: smart work is still working. Hard work without direction can be wasteful, yes, but smart work without execution is vapor.
The ancient proverb says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” In today’s context, we might say: all real work—hard, smart, or both—builds value. Hashtags, frameworks, and keynote slogans don’t move the needle. Sweat does.
So, here’s the question I now leave with those I coach, and perhaps with you: When the dust settles and the results are tallied, will you be the one seen to have done the work?
If yes, then it matters less whether you were clever or rugged. You showed up. You delivered. You built. And that’s the kind of leader we need more of.
Because in the end, as Tom Gitogo Gitogo reminds us, just work.
Join Our Community – WWW.FPKE.AFRICA
Every Wednesday from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, FinanceProfessionalsKE hosts a Free Leadership Class, where we explore the beauty that is in leadership. Join us to learn from experienced leaders and gain practical insights into your professional growth.
CPA Hillary Oonge:
Management consultant, Personal Effectiveness and Leadership Coach.
I am a COO and Partner incharge of management consulting and Outsourced Services (MCOS) at SKM Africa LLP, A community Manager and instructor at FPKE (FinanceProfessionalsKe) and Board Member at Kenya Communities Development Foundation (KCDF)
We are FPKE and Catalysing growth, empowering professionals is our calling
To subscribe to our weekly leadership insights, visit www.fpke.africa/register or contact us at admin@fpke.africa