The Successful Principal takes its reader through the arc of the principalship, beginning with teaching, moving on to promotion to the administrative office and how to achieve it, describing how to go about entry planning, going into depth about the challenges and opportunities the principal faces in leading a school, and moving into a focus on how to thrive as a principal while growing the skills of others. This is a book designed to give principals advice on how to do the job well. The book is buttressed by research where appropriate, and it pays particular attention to the principal's basic conundrum, which is this: while he/she is arguably the face and leader of the school, he/she is often the person with the least actual power in the system. The book takes a realistic look at the principal's power, opportunities, and structural and political limitations and then teaches its readers how successful principals find a way forward in spite of those challenges.