You must realize that as a leader your every word and deed is being monitored by everyone, everywhere. Even the smallest things can make a big difference. Your employees, investors, customers, advisors and vendors are always looking to you. They are looking to see if you are their leader. They are looking to see if they can trust you. They are looking to see if you can take the pressure. They are looking to see if you will make them a success. No time of day is off limits. No topic is off limits.

Slam the phone down once and your stability is questioned. Come late to a meeting and you are disrespectful. Show loyalty to an early employee of the business and you are putting your feelings ahead of the best interests of the company. Some of it is fair. Some of it is not.

“Everything you do and say is on display.” 

No one understands better than you that the success of your venture depends on—you. Your passion, dedication and drive are critical. Your ability to lead is equally important. It makes no difference whether or not you will ultimately be the CEO of the company. You may have gotten into this because you are a talented technologist or a skilled marketer. You may have never thought or cared about being a leader. Regardless, at the beginning of a new venture—like it or not—you are the leader. Your actions set the tone. In later stages, when there are more team members, your organization will have a culture that is bigger than you. For now, it’s mostly you. If we were to look at a pie chart dividing responsibility for the company’s future success, your portion would be about 99 percent. That’s a lot of pie, especially when everyone is watching.

You can’t escape being onstage, so use it to your advantage and put on a show they’ll never forget.