Your Leadership Voice Isn’t Too Much. It’s the Message.

If you’ve ever been told you’re too direct, too emotional, too intense, too passionate, or my personal favorite, too much, congratulations! That’s often what power looks like when it isn’t packaged to make other people comfortable.

Let’s be clear: your leadership voice is not too much. It’s too real for people who are used to leadership that performs instead of transforms.

There is nothing wrong with having a voice that cuts through noise. What matters is how you use it. Do you lead with purpose? Do you speak from clarity, not ego? Are you showing up in ways that build trust, even when you challenge the room?

That’s leadership.

And yet, many of us have learned to soften our edges just to fit in. We second-guess, water down, or rehearse ourselves into blandness. Not because we lack leadership potential, but because we’ve been told power has a specific tone.

Here’s what I need you to hear: Your voice is part of your impact, and when you muffle it, everyone loses.

Try this instead of shrinking:

• Speak in full volume, not apology. You can be bold and kind.

• Use your story as strategy. Your lived experience is leadership data.

• Ask clear questions. They challenge systems more powerfully than vague complaints.

• Own the room without owning all the answers. You don’t need perfection to have presence.

The world needs more voices that lead with clarity and conviction, not more leaders trying to fit a mold.

This week’s reflection:

• Where have you been shrinking your voice to make others comfortable?

• What would it sound like to speak up from your values instead of their expectations?

Coming next: Week 4 – “Building Teams That Let Others Lead Differently Too.”