In conversation with Rebecca Fox on the Get Amplified Podcast
Do you have to be tough to succeed in leadership?
For years, the path to the corner office has been associated with being the loudest voice in the room. The toughest negotiator. The person willing to push the hardest.
But what if that’s the wrong model? To mark International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light again on this brilliant Get Amplified podcast conversation with Rebecca Fox. Together, we explored a different leadership story, one that challenges long-standing assumptions.
The episode is called “Kind girls can get the corner office.”
And the message is simple but powerful: You don’t have to stop being kind to become a successful leader.
In fact, many of the qualities people sometimes see as “soft” – empathy, authenticity, and the ability to build genuine relationships, are exactly the qualities that help leaders create trust, alignment, and high-performing teams.
Leadership Doesn’t Require You to Change Who You Are
Many people feel pressure to adapt their personality to fit a traditional leadership mould.
Be tougher.
Speak louder.
Hide the softer edges.
Rebecca challenges that thinking. The most effective leaders rarely succeed by pretending to be someone else. Instead, they lean into their natural strengths and lead in a way that feels authentic.
Kindness doesn’t mean being passive. And it certainly doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations.
It means leading with respect, empathy and clarity.
When those qualities are combined with strong expectations and clear direction, they create something every high-performing team needs: trust.
“You don’t have to stop being kind to become a leader. In fact, the qualities people sometimes see as ‘soft’ are often the ones that help you build the most trust.”
The Confidence Gap and Imposter Syndrome
One of the most powerful moments in the conversation focused on imposter syndrome.
Many talented people hesitate when leadership opportunities appear. They question whether they are ready, whether they know enough, or whether someone else might be better suited.
Rebecca shared how often people hold themselves back because they feel they don’t yet tick every box.
But the reality is that most leaders step into new roles without having every answer.
Leadership isn’t about knowing everything.
It’s about creating clarity, bringing the right people together, and helping a team move forward.
Confidence often grows after we take the step, not before.
“So many talented people hold themselves back because they think they’re not ready yet. But leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about bringing people together to find them.”
Leadership Is a Team Sport
Another theme that emerged strongly from the discussion was the importance of building a support network.
No one builds a successful career alone.
Mentors, colleagues, sponsors and peers all play a role in helping people navigate challenges and see opportunities they might otherwise miss.
Leadership is fundamentally about relationships, and the same is true when it comes to building a career. The stronger the relationships around you, the more support, perspective and opportunity you have.
This connects closely with another area we often explore at Amplified: the role of open conversations and feedback in helping people and teams grow.
Kindness Is Not a Weakness
One of the biggest myths in leadership is that kindness somehow reduces effectiveness. In reality, the opposite is often true.
Leaders who treat people with respect, listen well and genuinely care about their teams tend to create environments where people feel safe to contribute, collaborate and perform at their best.
And in modern organisations, where success depends on cross-team collaboration and shared ownership, those qualities matter more than ever.
Kindness doesn’t remove accountability.
It simply means holding high standards while still valuing the people delivering the work.
“Kindness doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means caring about the people around you while still expecting great results.”
Three Leadership Takeaways from Rebecca Fox
1. Authenticity sets you free
The most effective leaders don’t try to fit a stereotype. They lead with authenticity and lean into the strengths that make them who they are.
2. Confidence often follows action
Many people wait until they feel ready before stepping into leadership opportunities. In reality, confidence often grows after we take the step, not before.
3. Kindness and performance go hand in hand
Kind leaders don’t lower standards. They create environments built on trust, respect, and clarity, conditions that allow teams to perform at their best.
A Different Leadership Story
At Amplified Group, we often talk about the ingredients that help teams and leaders execute at speed: purpose, trust, clarity and simplicity.
This conversation with Rebecca Fox highlights just how important those foundations are.
Kindness and empathy help build trust.
Authenticity brings clarity to leadership.
Strong relationships create alignment around purpose.
And when those elements come together, teams are able to move faster, collaborate better, and deliver stronger results.
So perhaps the real takeaway is this: Leadership doesn’t have to look one way.
You don’t have to become the loudest voice in the room and you don’t have to change who you are to succeed.
Sometimes the qualities people underestimate, empathy, authenticity and kindness, are exactly the ones that help leaders build the trust and clarity that high-performing teams need.
And yes, those qualities can absolutely take you to the corner office.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: Kind girls can get the corner office – Get Amplified Podcast
For further reading, check out our co-founders article: Turning Imposter Syndrome into My Superpower
