Effective Leaders Make the Effort (even with the interns): LMX Theory in Action

One key thing that I noticed this week at work is the problem the finance team has with our manager. One of the team members is leaving at the end of this coming week so on Thursday we all went out to lunch. Most of this lunch was spent complaining about our manager and explaining to me all the ways to avoid getting on his bad side. The problems that were mentioned were his inability to teach, his quick temper, and his stiff personality. Everyone is either already leaving the company or looking for another job. They each claim to love the company, but were so sick of working under their current manager that they felt they needed to leave to improve their careers, experience and happiness.

I found it very interesting listening to the complaints of my team because while they loved the CEO and all the other managers at the company, they were miserable working under someone who had “poor leadership skills”. The other managers and the CEO all make an effort in the office to connect and develop a relationship with everyone. The manager of the finance team is much more reserved, doesn’t really take the time or put in the effort to build the same connections with people in the office, including the people working under him. The four members of the finance team showed disproval of their manager who does not have strong relationships with them, but they all showed a fondness for the other managers that take the time to build those strong relationships. The managers who have taken the time to get to know me and the other interns are the same ones that get spoken highly of in the office the most. This highlights the LMX Theory because the people in leadership positions that have strong leader follower relationships, are the leaders that are seen as most effective and are the most well-liked. The manager who has not put the effort into developing these strong relationships is so disliked that the members of his team are all looking for jobs elsewhere.

Even the CEO takes the time to respond to every sales confirmation she receives, congratulating the seller and maintaining some type of personal relationship with everyone working under her. She is spoken very highly of, and has done so well as the leader of the company that NPR’s ad sales have doubled since she came on board, 6 years ago. The difference between the relationships the CEO and the Finance Manager have with everyone at our company, and the difference in their effectiveness and general approval supports the LMX theory. Those with strong leader-follower relationships are regarded as better and are more well-liked as people and leaders.