I think a leader displaying calmness, confidence and even a sort of levity towards imposing problems or struggles is very valuable even if this may be a practic

I think a leader displaying calmness, confidence and even a sort of levity towards imposing problems or struggles is very valuable even if this may be a practiced behavior or a kind of "performance" (if only in the beginning). In other words, maybe what's most valuable at any given moment is not to have all the answers for everyone in every situation but to exude an attitude which suggests "this too shall pass" and "together we'll figure it out". Over the long-haul it is likely more impactful to foster this environment and to calm those around you so that creative solutions have space to emerge instead of stirring anxiety and fear which may in turn be a hostile environment for collaboration and creativity. I know this sounds a little idyllic or lofty and you may be thinking "yea except every day there's a problem that could actually kill our startup so I can't just act like everything's ok all the time" and this is where your role becomes uniquely challenging in that every day the sky may actually be falling, you aren't just imagining it- so how can you keep your cool? I don't claim to know the answer but I have a feeling it involves striking a balance somewhere between being passionate, being personally invested and seeing the startup as a reflection of yourself and then on the other end centering yourself in a place of "detachment from the outcome", reminding yourself that you'll live and that "this is all just information". I can't say I know fully how to strike that balance but this is the approach I shoot for. I think there's real power in detaching from the outcome of any given arbitrary situation- this gives space for creative solutions, rich contributions and better energy. This doesn't mean you don't care about the "success" of the startup, you can care deeply; it means you do not fear the land mines, the possible missteps because you know that these seemingly scary foes are actually bits of information, encoded information or even opportunities and that you and your team will be wise enough to see them as such and react appropriately where other's may let fear take hold and be blinded. A book comes to mind, if you haven't already you should check it out: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Hope this helps! Remember... you got this!