While faculty member benefit when they receive the feedback and support they need from their department chairs, chairs often have no training and limited interest in the role, especially when thrust into it. This primer outlines the key coaching skills needed to equip chairs to approach performance reviews and coaching/ supporting their faculty with greater ease and professionalism. By clarifying performance expectations and supporting faculty career aspirations, chairs help faculty work with less anxiety and greater productivity, satisfaction, and engagement. Well-trained chairs can also shift the departmental atmosphere away from the competitiveness and incivility that often contribute to faculty stress and anxiety and toward collegiality, clarity, and mutual support.