Selection of educational leaders in the United States typically involves four decision points controlled by three types of institutions: admission to and graduation from a principal preparation program controlled by an institution of higher education, certification controlled by the state, and employment controlled by a local school district. Presumably, decision makers in these institutions consider the skills and dispositions of effective leadership identified in three domains: educational knowledge, moral purpose and ethics, and social and emotional intelligence. However, this paper argues that the degree to which each institution involved in decision making can make such judgments about future leaders is constrained by its fundamental role and mission. Recommendations to strengthen selection processes must consider all three domains of leadership, recognize that not every selection point can address all three, and work toward a synergistic structuring of the entire process.