The way It Goes column is taking a little break but will be back in June

ON WOMEN BALANCING FAMILY AND WORK

Nobody can have it all. It is all a balancing act with no formulae. And all you can do is try your best. I did what I did the only way I knew how to. As a working mother of two, I would tag my babies with me to meetings. I would travel with them. They would come along with me on work trips. I would use my miles to pay their air fares and a little extra for their meals and as long as they had things to keep themselves busy, they were OK. I was going to have a career and I was going to have children, it was what I had chosen for myself. It had to work. No one had chosen it for me.  Even as a parliamentarian they went to work a lot with me.

 Martha Karua, politician

 ON MAKING LOVE, NOT WAR

That we should cherish peace. This peace I have enjoyed in Kenya is something I didn’t know for a very long time before I left Burundi. Peace is expensive but it is worth it and once your country goes to war, it is very difficult to regain the peace you once enjoyed. Everything then is left in the hands of the people who sign the peace deal which as the name says is a deal between a small group of people who gain a lot at the expense of the citizens. Cherish this peace you enjoy, there are people who pray for it day and night.

Kidum, musician

ON FINDING WORK TO SUSTAIN YOU

There is a lot of work to be done even here in Kenya. When I came back from the US, there were no jobs and I was afraid my wife would walk away. So I had to sell vegetables. That is why I say life cannot be life if you are comfortable throughout. There are ups and downs. Now we have what we call the gig economy. I get frustrated with students because they do work online, then they get frustrated and come say they want employment. When I am very broke even I do those jobs. It does not mean we do not have something for people to do. It is that belief that as a graduate they are beneath those jobs, but you should be humble.

Bitange Ndemo, associate professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Nairobi’s Business School

ON FINDING HUMILITY

 I never had the sense that I could not work in the shops because I had completed my A-levels. I was a delivery chap delivering furniture, I used to stack shelves – I never imagined I was too good for any job. I did a lot of things and I said, "It's a job. I will do it and I will take my lessons from each and every one of those jobs." If you look at how I engage with people working in shops when I go shopping, my interaction with them is shaped by that experience because I walked in those shoes. I worked behind that checkout. I know how dehumanising people can treat you sometimes. I hold those people with huge admiration and respect. Don't have a sense of entitlement. You are never too good for anything. You are never too good to sweep floors and all. That is the thing about opportunities. They may not present themselves as you expect them to.

Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom

ON GIVING CRITICISM

Always remember to focus on the specific quality you need improved and not the person overall - this is the hallmark of developing a growth mindset with your team. It also takes not being judgmental or mean - something that we all need some practice in.

Tania Ngima, management strategist

GOLDEN QUOTE

Get fired at least once

"I worked for American Harper's Bazaar... they fired me. I recommend that you all get fired. It's a great learning experience.

Anna Wintour, Editor-in-chief, British Vogue