There has been acceptance of the view that leadership is a critical variable in determining the outcomes of schools. Leithwood et. al (2004) contend that effective leadership is second only to the quality of classroom instruction in determining student outcomes. The quality of classroom instruction is a function of a number of variables including teacher training, teachers' sense of personal efficacy, and the quality of the relationship between teachers and their principals. Fullan (2014) addresses the issue frontally by asserting that there is an urgent need to further explore the role of the principalship in the discourse on what makes for effective teachers and effective schools. There is an emerging theme in the discourse of quality/effective principal leadership which affirms that the performance of schools is dependent on the quality of leadership. Among the questions this discourse raises are: "to what extent does leadership matter?" and "what are the essential ingredients in successful leadership? Blasé and Blasé (1999) who conducted a study among a sample of 809 teachers in the United States of America, provides clues which point to the answers to those questions". Two major themes which defined teachers' perspectives on effective instructional leadership were discovered. These themes were "talking with teachers to promote reflection" and "promoting professional growth". This work, like Fullan's (2014), seeks to focus on the role of the school principal and takes account of aspects of the findings of Blasé and Blasé (1999), whose conclusions (referenced above) are similar to those of this study. Thus this study seeks to answer the question of the extent to which the quality of the principalship matters and the specific leadership qualities required in the principal, as seen through the eyes of teachers. The commonality of the findings between this study of that of Fullan (2014) and Blasé & Blasé (1999), suggest that the findings of this study may be applicable beyond Jamaica.