I have been Chair of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas for about a year-and-a-half now. For what it is worth, here is my top 10 list of advice for new Chairs:
Make a list of deadlines, mine has about 150 items
Support, expand and involve your external advisory board - they can move the world
Every time you complete a complicated task, write a note titled "for next time" about how you could do it better
Start a blog to capture all the stuff you need to share,here is mine
Choose committee members carefully, dysfunctional committees are bad news
Make a 4-year teaching plan for the department, here is mine
Put together an advisory group of senior faculty
Mainly watch and learn for a year, then initiate change where needed
Clarify, streamline and simplify processes
Communicate and delegate
Make a list of deadlines, mine has about 150 items
Support, expand and involve your external advisory board - they can move the world
Every time you complete a complicated task, write a note titled "for next time" about how you could do it better
Start a blog to capture all the stuff you need to share,here is mine
Choose committee members carefully, dysfunctional committees are bad news
Make a 4-year teaching plan for the department, here is mine
Put together an advisory group of senior faculty
Mainly watch and learn for a year, then initiate change where needed
Clarify, streamline and simplify processes
Communicate and delegate
