Rapid changes within and pressures upon higher education make it increasingly critical to focus on leadership development in order to ensure that managers are equipped with the perspectives, skills, and tools needed to maximize the potential of their individual followers and their organizations as a whole while still finding their own fulfillment in the process. A Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) framework, in which the focus rests on assessing and building the quality of the relationships between a supervisor and individual team members, can support development of the skills necessary to foster positive relationships, including emotional intelligence, communication, and justice. The authors apply the LMX conceptualization to leader/follower relationships in higher education and include a guided reflection tool for academic leaders, particularly at the department level.