When Chairs Shield Faculty from Service Opportunities: Protecting Colleagues or Hindering Community?

institutional sustainability-are shared.Table 1 illustrates the different priorities and points of focus that naturally arise within each role.Ultimately, productive collaboration between chairs and assistant/associate deans requires more than policy alignment-it requires empathy.When we take the time to understand one another's roles, constraints, and goals, we become better problemsolvers and more effective leaders.It's easy to become entrenched in our own challenges and to lose sight of the broader context in which our colleagues operate.But when we listen actively, ask clarifying questions, and acknowledge the pressures our counterparts face, we create space for shared solutions to emerge.Here are a few practical strategies for cultivating empathy in academic leadership: Focus on shared goals like student success and institutional vitality.Collaborate on immediate and long-term solutions. Assume that we all have good intentions, even if our approaches seem misaligned.View the differences in vantage points as strengths for getting to the root concerns and addressing challenges in complementary ways. Meet or call instead of using email.Engage in regular feedback and practice patience.If you must email about a potentially heated issue, take a break before sending. Communicate in a way that is considerate to all parties. Acknowledge and validate feelings.Recognize the challenges that coworkers are facing and share your own challenges transparently.Chairs and assistant/associate deans occupy different vantage points.But when they engage one another with empathy and a commitment to shared purpose, they can bridge divides and move their institution forward.Ultimately, the strength of academic leadership lies in the relationships we build across them, not in rigid adherence to roles.