The effective department chair has a strong understanding of the mission and vision of the institution. He knows how the mission and vision affect the daily operations of the academic unit and strives to meet them. A department chair also needs to be politically and financially astute to understand when and how to pursue departmental goals. This knowledge enables the chair to get things done both within the department and across the institution.
Effective department chairs are similar to effective leaders in any other setting. The more important characteristics of an effective department chair are credibility and trustworthiness. Both faculty and students need to know that department chairs will do as they say. In most cases, the department chair is the first person approached when a faculty member or student is dissatisfied. The effective department chair takes an interest in her concern and follows it through to a solution.
Effective department chairs are always looking externally for opportunities and threats that may appear on the horizon. Because they are attuned to these, they are able to tackle threats and embrace opportunities before major problems appear. They identify strengths and work diligently with faculty to attain high levels of achievement that support institutional goals. In addition, department chairs continually look inward to identify weaknesses within the department and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate them.
The effective department chair is one who sees in faculty the potential for unlimited achievement. This chair works diligently to support faculty in reaching their goals and takes pride in their success. While not all faculty will aspire to achieve, the department chair needs to readily address these situations as well. The effective department chair is an inspirational leader who strives to develop not only a successful department, but successful faculty and staff as well.