The lessons of experience of successful school principals : how successful principals develop leadership skills on the job

The purpose of this research was to determine the career experiences that help successful principals develop leadership skills. Eight regional winners of the Wachovia Principal of the Year Program for 1990 were interviewed to find out what experiences they believed to be important in developing their leadership skills. Interview questions were adapted from a study of successful business leaders conducted by McCall, Lombardo, and Morrison. (1988) The complete interviews with the eight principals were tape recorded and the tapes were transcribed. Career stories of each principal, which represented a chronological biographical portrait of each principal's career, were developed. Comparative analysis was used to determine the common experiences in the careers of these successful principals