Lead the Change: How to Powerfully Navigate the Faculty-to-Administrator Shift

The transition from faculty member to administrator is one of the most significant—and often underestimated—shifts in academic pharmacy.

While your faculty experience equips you with deep expertise, success in administration requires a different mindset, new habits, and a redefined sense of impact. Whether you're stepping into a role as department chair, assistant dean, or director, this guide offers practical insights to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and credibility.

1. Redefine Your Value: From Subject-Matter Expert to Strategic Leader

As a faculty member, your value was often measured by what you personally achieved—teaching excellence, publication metrics, or clinical service. Now, your leadership will be evaluated by your ability to advance the collective success of your department or college.

Leadership Shift: Shift from the “go-to expert” to the architect or catalyst of systems, cultures, and solutions that elevate your entire team. It’s no longer about your name on the project—it’s about empowering your team to do their best work.

Example: A newly appointed department chair pauses her own course development to focus on building a department-wide teaching innovation grant team. The outcome? Two junior faculty secure seed funding, elevating the team’s visibility and morale.

Example: An interim director shifts focus from their own research agenda to creating a robust mentoring system. The outcome? Early career faculty benefit from the support resulting in increased faculty productivity and satisfaction.

💡 Try This: Ask: “What structures or resources can I put in place that will allow others to succeed—without needing me in the room?” This could become your “one big thing” that you wish to focus on during the first several months of transition.

2. Lead Through Influence, Not Just Expertise

Academic leaders encounter competing priorities, complex personalities, and institutional politics. Authority doesn’t automatically yield change – relationships do. Your technical knowledge is valuable—but influence is essential. The ability to build coalitions, gain buy-in, and manage stakeholder expectations determines your effectiveness far more than how much you know.

Faculty Tip: Build relational capital. Early in your role, schedule intentional one-on-one meetings with faculty, staff, and fellow leaders. Focus on strategic relationships. Influence is earned through trust, not title. Invest in conversations before decisions are needed.

Example: An associate dean working on a curriculum revision doesn't start with the proposal. Instead, she hosts listening sessions with course coordinators and student reps. When the draft rolls out, it’s already shaped by shared input—and receives early support.

Example: A new assistant dean builds trust by streamlining annual reporting with faculty input, earning credibility while reinforcing transparency.

💡 Try This: Map your circle of influence. Who do you need to build alignment with? Where is trust strong—and where does it need repair? Decide the key coalitions that need to be built and fostered to ensure success.

3. Shift Your Time from Doing to Deciding

What is the biggest trap new administrators face? Over-functioning. It’s tempting to keep doing what made you successful as faculty—writing the reports, tweaking the syllabus, jumping in to fix problems. But as an administrator, your time is better spent empowering others and thinking upstream. Leadership is about making smarter, more strategic decisions.

Use the 3D Lens:

• Do: Lead the vision, model the culture

• Delegate: Trust capable colleagues and staff with operational tasks

• Decide: Spend your energy on strategy, resource allocation, and big-picture planning

Example: A new assistant dean stops editing faculty syllabi and instead facilitates a course director summit to align instructional quality standards across the curriculum.

Example: An interim dean creates working groups of faculty, staff, and students to brainstorm key issues pertaining to important collegiate themes. The inclusion of others builds buy-in and the productivity allows you to focus on bigger picture items.

💡 Action Step: Audit your calendar. What could be delegated with clarity? What high-value thinking isn’t getting scheduled? Protect your time each week for strategic work – planning, partnerships, accreditation, or vision-setting – not just responding to emails.

4. Build a Communication Rhythm

Silence is rarely neutral. As a leader, your communication – or lack of it- shapes morale, clarity, and culture. Consistent, transparent communication isn’t just about updates—it’s a leadership tool that shapes culture, builds trust, and reduces anxiety.

Tips to Lead with Communication:

• Send biweekly updates that connect tactical items to bigger goals

• Start meetings with a mission-aligned win or student success story

• Reinforce your core values—especially during times of change

Example: A department chair facing budget constraints openly shares key decision factors with the team, hosts a Q&A session, and follows up with action steps—transforming frustration into shared responsibility.

Example: A monthly “From the Chair’s Desk” email that highlights faculty successes, demystifies changes, and creates a shared sense of direction.

💡 Try This: Establish a cadence: When and how will you communicate with faculty, students, and staff? What values will your messages reinforce? Create automations within your email system to distribute according to your plan.

5. Seek a Thought Partner (or Coach)

The higher you rise, the fewer peers you may feel comfortable confiding in. Leadership is rewarding—but it can be lonely.

Faculty Tip: Don’t go it alone. Partnering with a coach or seasoned mentor helps you stay grounded, accelerate growth, and think through high-stakes decisions in a safe, supportive space. A thought partner can offer honest, confidential feedback, a sounding board for tough decisions, and support as you navigate the personal and professional shifts leadership demands.

Example: A new interim dean engages a coach to role-play difficult conversations, navigate university politics, and clarify a 6-month transition plan—leading to higher confidence and stronger team alignment.

💡 Try This: Identify someone outside your direct chain of command—a mentor, executive coach, or peer leader—to check in with monthly.

💡 Explore More: Edu-Lead offers coaching designed for pharmacy faculty leaders in transition. We’ll help you sharpen your leadership lens, avoid common pitfalls, and grow with intention. You can find more details at www.edulead-consulting.com

Final Thought: Lead with Purpose, Not Just Position

The best academic leaders don’t just fill roles—they shape culture, model integrity, and amplify the work of others. They lead with purpose, not just position.

Whether you’re preparing for a new role or growing in the one you have, your transition from expert to leader is a defining moment. Lead it with vision, humility, and a commitment to the people you serve.

Next Steps to Strengthen Your Leadership Journey

🎯 Schedule a Free Strategy Session
Let’s talk about where you are and where you want to lead next. Coaching can help you get there faster, with clarity and support.