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This paper discusses development of the department chair, focusing on the need to build leadership capacity in colleges and universities. It suggests that it takes many years to become an expert, noting that one of the most glaring shortcomings in the leadership area is the scarcity of sound research on leadership training and development. Obstacles to leadership development include such facts as: the institutional system tends to snuff out the spark of enthusiasm for leadership before the flame is ignited; the prestige of specific professional disciplines drains off potential leaders into profitable non-leadership roles; many academics are unwilling to give up their professional and personal lives for ones consumed by leadership responsibilities; and the state of selection at the top levels of the organization is precarious. The development of leadership ability is a long, complex process. Three spheres of influence are needed to create the conditions essential to developing academic leaders: conceptual understanding of the unique roles and responsibilities encompassed in academic leadership; the skills necessary to achieve the results through working with faculty, staff students, and other administrators; and the practice of reflection to learn from past experiences and perfect the art of leadership. (Contains 28 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document