This study seeks to address the main difficulties encountered by principals when carrying out their leadership role. A total of 100 principals from infant, primary, and secondary schools in the province of Alicante (Spain) were interviewed. The results show that the respondents were more affected by external problems and difficulties inherent to their role than by their personal limitations and the impact leadership has on their lives. All the difficulties identified reveal that the prevailing leadership model continues to be managerial and individualist in character, and the article puts forward a number of proposals on how this might be changed.