This is a really common Leo-Capricorn work dynamic and honestly one of the more productive fire-earth pairings once the initial friction settles.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, so recognition isn't vanity to them, it's how they know their effort actually landed. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, so you're wired to trust structure and results over verbal praise.

The fact that saying things out loud helped so much makes total sense - you gave her Sun-ruled need for visibility a place to land, and she probably started trusting your Saturn-ruled reliability more in return. Keep doing that, it's a small adjustment that goes a long way with this pairing.

lmao the 'quietly competing for who's in charge' thing is way too real. my old capricorn manager was like this with our leo team lead. eventually he realized giving her the spotlight in meetings meant she gave him way more autonomy behind the scenes