Becoming an Effective Leader
New department chairs are faced with a number of challenges and opportunities. From running meetings to learning what supervisors expect from you, becoming a new department chair often requires developing a whole new skillset.
The AAMC can provide you with the tools you need to develop your own leadership style as you grow into your new position. Use the resources below to get started. These resources are contextualized for new department chairs but will be useful to all leaders in academic medicine.
This toolkit was developed in conjunction with Leading.
Giving Feedback
Giving Effective Feedback Tip Sheet
These guidelines show how to provide clear, specific feedback.
Meeting Preparation Guide
This tool will help you document the information needed before having a feedback conversation.
Giving a Performance Evaluation
Career Development Discussion Tool (Faculty and Staff)
Give this template to faculty or staff to help with their planning for a career development conversation.
Career Development Discussion Tool (Department Chair)
Use this template to prepare for a career development conversation with faculty or staff.
Career Development Discussion Starters
These questions can help generate productive and open conversations with faculty and staff about their career goals and development strategies.
What Your Dean Expects From You
Working Effectively with Your Dean
Use this tool to think about how to work effectively and collaboratively with the dean.
Enhancing Your Leadership Presence
Leadership Presence Tip Sheet
These tips will create awareness of and develop your verbal and non-verbal communication as a leader.
Improving Accountability and Reducing Uncertainty
RACI Charting Basics and Analysis
This tool helps establish and analyze team roles and responsibilities. Specific examples are provided.
Individual Assessment
Self-Assessment for Incumbent Department Chairs: Why Are You the Chair?
This tool will automatically tabulate a score based on your responses to a series of career-assessment questions. With the score, you can determine your level of commitment to being a department chair and/or consider your career goals.
Individual Development Plan
Self-Reflection Guide
The questions in this template will help you explore your current and future career goals.
Individual Development Plan
Use this template and best practices to outline your career objectives and identify the skills, action steps, success measures, and timeline needed to achieve your goals.
Want to know more?
Our publication Leading is a part of the AAMC Successful Department Chair Series. To purchase, visit the AAMC store.