Coaching practices for Leader Follower Exchange

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Leader Follower Exchange, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• My boss took a real chance on me and advocated for me, and I just took it and moved on without ever closing the loop
• There are people on my team I’ve quietly written off
• I lead a team and I’ve realized the people I lean on most are the ones who remind me of myself or are just easy to be around
• I stand up and tell my team what we value, but I’ve started to wonder whether my own choices actually match the words
• I keep waiting for my manager to notice me and hand me more trust, and it’s not happening

Practices that may help

1. Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Made Practical
   Leader-member exchange theory, developed by George Graen and Mary Uhl-Bien, holds that leaders do not treat all followers the same — they develop distinct dyadic relationships ranging from high-LMX (trust, respect, mutual obligation) to low-LMX (formal, exchange-based). High-LMX relationships are consistently associated with better performance, satisfaction, and career outcomes in observational research.
2. Reciprocate when your leader invests in you
   When a leader gives you trust, opportunity, or advocacy, close the loop with visible follow-through.
   Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Made Practical
3. Deliberately expand your inner circle
   Move team members from low-LMX to high-LMX through intentional relationship investment.
   Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Made Practical
4. Manage LMX differentiation fairly as a leader
   Acknowledge that you develop different relationships with different people — and ensure the differences are earned, not arbitrary.
   Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Made Practical
5. Model the values you expect (idealized influence)
   Become a living example of the values you want your team to hold.
   Transformational Leadership, Made Practical
6. Invest in the relationship before you need it
   Build relational credit through reliability and initiative, not charm or performance alone.
   Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Made Practical
7. Invite clients or reports to contribute insight to your approach
   Asking someone you lead for their input increases their investment in the outcome.
   The Ben Franklin Effect, Made Practical
8. Map your manager’s top three priorities
   Know what your manager is measured on and being pressured about — your work lands differently when it connects to that.
   Managing Up: Practical Skills for Working with Your Boss
9. Listen deeply before responding
   Greenleaf’s servant-leader is "a listener first" — understanding precedes directing.
   Servant Leadership, Made Practical
10. Develop successors who will surpass you
    Invest in your successor’s success as a deliberate act of institutional ambition.
    Level 5 Leadership: Humility and Will in Great Leaders

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.