Boss Life

When people say “boss life,” it sounds powerful. Like you sit in a big chair, give instructions, and everything moves smoothly.

That is not my reality.

For me, boss life means carrying responsibility quietly. It means thinking about salaries before my own comfort. It means worrying about program quality, partnerships, cash flow, and team morale, sometimes all in one afternoon. It also means learning every single day.
I did not grow up with a clear blueprint on how to run a business. I am largely self taught. I learned by doing. I learned by failing. I learned by making decisions too quickly, and sometimes too slowly. I learned by losing money, by fixing mistakes, by staying up late to solve problems that had no clear answer.

No one gave me a manual.
Over time, I built my own way of working. I move fast. I take ownership. When I do not know something, I search, test, and figure it out. If something breaks, I try to fix it before I panic.

But I do not do it alone.
I reach out to people in my community. I call mentors. I ask questions. I have learned that strength is not about pretending to know everything. It is about being willing to learn in public. That mindset, trying first and then seeking guidance when needed, helped me survive and grow.

Recently, I have been reflecting.

Sometimes, without realizing it, I expect my team to learn and operate the same way I do. I expect them to think ahead, anticipate problems, and push through confusion until they find solutions. I expect initiative. I expect urgency.
And then I ask myself, is that always fair?

They are younger. Many of them are still discovering how they learn best. Some need more guidance. Some need structure. Some need time to build confidence. My path was shaped by pressure and necessity. That does not mean it should be the only path.

This reflection does not come from disappointment. It comes from care.

The business environment we operate in is not easy. It is competitive. Funding is limited. Expectations from partners are high. The ecosystem is growing, but it is still small. We cannot afford to be average. We have to improve constantly. We have to deliver quality programs. We have to move faster than comfort allows.

That pressure sits with me every day.

Sometimes I carry it quietly. Sometimes it comes out as intensity. Sometimes it turns into high standards that may feel heavy. But my intention is simple. I want us to grow. Not just survive.

At Impact Hub Thimphu, I do not want a rigid boss structure. I do not want a culture where people wait for instructions. I do not want fear in the room.
I want open conversations. If something does not make sense, say it. If you disagree, say it. If you have a better idea, bring it forward. I may be the founder, but I do not have all the answers. I am still learning how to lead better.

We work in focused blocks.
Three hours of deep, serious work. No scrolling. No distractions. Just execution. We respect that time.

The rest of the day is different. It is not about looking busy. It is for reading. For online courses. For improving communication. For learning new tools. For sharpening thinking.

We also give structure to our week.

Monday is for planning the entire week together. Clear priorities. Clear ownership.
Wednesday, we do silent presentations. Instead of long explanations, team members share ideas through images. It forces clarity. It pushes creativity. It gives space to those who may not always speak first.

Friday is in a PechaKucha style format. Short, structured storytelling. We reflect on what we agreed on Monday. What moved forward. What got stuck. What we learned. It keeps us honest. It keeps us aligned.

And yes, we have one small rule.

If you are going to be late, inform us thirty minutes before. Do not send a long excuse. Send a joke. Let me start my day with a smile instead of a serious late message. Work is serious enough. We can protect our energy too.

I want the office to be a place of growth, not just task completion.

If we only focus on immediate deliverables, we will stay small in our thinking. But if we use our time to build skills, our capacity expands. And when capacity expands, so does impact.

Ownership is something I care deeply about.

I do not want team members who only execute instructions. I want program leads. Decision makers. People who say, “I will take this and run with it.” That means planning. Budgeting. Managing stakeholders. Solving issues before they escalate.

With ownership comes mistakes. And that is okay.

I have made many mistakes. I still do. The goal is not perfection. The goal is growth. If you take initiative and fail, we learn. If you avoid responsibility because you fear mistakes, we stay stuck.

Sometimes, late in the evening, I wonder if I expect too much.

I ask myself, are my standards too high? Am I pushing too fast? Am I assuming readiness where there is still learning to happen?

These questions matter. But I also know this. I see potential. Intelligence. Creativity. Energy. If I did not believe in that, I would lower expectations. I would settle for average output. I would just manage tasks and move on.

I do not want that.

When I push, it is because I see what you can become. When I question, it is because I want you to think deeper. When I ask for ownership, it is because I believe you can lead.

In the future, I hope people join us because of the culture we are building. Not because of the size of the paycheck. Pay matters, of course. But culture lasts longer. Growth lasts longer. Meaning lasts longer.

If someone walks into our space and feels challenged, supported, trusted, and stretched, then we are doing something right.
Boss life, for me, is not about control. It is about stewardship. I am holding something that matters. A space where entrepreneurs come for guidance. A platform where youth find confidence. A community that trusts us.

That responsibility is shared. I do not want a team that works for me. I want a team that builds with me. Growing together. Having honest conversations. Learning from friction instead of avoiding it. Holding each other accountable with respect. There will be tough months. Financial pressure. Programs that do not meet expectations. Feedback that stings.

But there will also be breakthroughs. Startups that succeed. Students who find direction. Partnerships that open new doors. Moments when we look back and realize how far we have come.

When I reflect on boss life, I do not feel powerful. I feel responsible.

Responsible for creating a culture where young people can experiment and grow. Responsible for model integrity. Responsible for keeping learning so I can guide better. Responsible for protecting the long term vision of what we are building.

We are not just running programs. We are shaping mindsets. Including our own. If we stay committed to learning, to ownership, and to honest communication, we will build something meaningful. Not overnight. Not without struggle. But steadily. And one day, when we look back, we will not just see a business.
We will see a journey we built together.

Note: I wrote this from my own reflections. I used AI to help me organise and rephrase my thoughts clearly.

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