As instructional leadership involves attempts to understand and improve complex systems, this study explored principals' perceptions regarding possible contributions of systems thinking to instructional leadership. Based on a qualitative analysis, systems thinking was perceived by middle and high school principals to contribute to the following three areas of instructional leadership: (1) improvement of school curriculum, (2) development of professional learning communities, and (3) interpretation of performance data. Systems thinking as a potential enabler of instructional leadership is discussed and implications are suggested.