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Two things come right to mind. The first thing I’d do is check my finger position in the fret. If the finger is too far back from the fret, it takes a lot more effort to get it to play cleanly, and conversely, if the finger is right on top of the fret, it will sound dead. There’s a sweet spot right behind the fret where it’s easy to press and it sounds nice.
The second thing is the guitar’s setup, broadly speaking. First thing is the strings. Lighter gauge string are softer than heavier gauge strings, and uncoated phosphor bronze strings are softer than coated strings, and nickel strings are softer than phosphor bronze strings. If you already have nice light and soft strings, then check the neck relief and the string height at the 12th fret. If it’s higher than about 7/64″ on the bass side, it’s almost certainly going to feel a bit stiff, and if working on your guitar doesn’t feel like a good idea, a good tech can get you sorted for not a lot of money. 🙂
Finally, the best finger exercise is playing. Work on your scales and your fingers will get stronger naturally, and so will your scales. 😁
Hope this helps!