ABSTRACT
This chapter explains fundamental differences between the role of a faculty or staff member and that of an academic or administrative leader. It describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to a leadership position. The role of leader requires one to understand a much broader landscape and to appreciate the perspectives of multiple and diverse stakeholders within and outside the institution. Leadership transitions are predictably complex events and come with some turbulence for all involved. When new leaders represent a change for the organization, whether it be a change of disciplinary and methodological orientation, or perhaps even a change in the demographics of the leader, including race, nationality, age, or gender, additional challenges and opportunities are likely to accompany the transition. In confronting both macro and micro events, a leader is positioned at the nexus of many influences, and the choices one makes can be extremely important in both professional and personal terms.
