Seven Habits of Successful Chairpersons
From "Academic Leadership: A Practical guide to Chairing the Department" by Deryl R. Leaming
“One of the biggest complaints I have heard against administrators is that they don’t give faculty members straight answers.”
- Successful chairpersons have goals (and their goals are no secret).
- Successful chairpersons get to know their colleagues and fellow administrators.
- Successful chairpersons are agents of change (and change involves risk-taking)
- Successful chairpersons understand and appreciate teaching, research, and public service.
- Successful chairpersons are honest, forthright, decent people.
- Successful chairpersons are fair and evenhanded.
- Successful chairpersons are consensus builders and good communicators.
What UNSUCCESSFUL Chairpersons Do
- They try to control others
- They are devoid of ideas
- They are out of their element
- They are humorless
- They don’t know how to meet people
- They buckle under pressure and abandon their principles
- They fail to hold high faculty standards