Significant changes have taken place in the governance of education systems around the world. Shifts in education policy have led to a focus towards reform through leadership development and away from school management analysis. This shift in policy from management to leadership has fostered a large number of academic studies presenting a universal and decontextualised leadership discourse, which dominates the field of education research to the detriment of issues of school management and head teachers' capacity to manage schools. This paper examines the domain of headship in the context of North Cyprus. Through the perspectives of head teachers and policy makers, it demonstrates that within the North Cyprus context, leadership, as defined in the dominant discourse, is not yet possible, and management is both difficult and sometimes inadequate. Findings suggest that there is a strong relationship between school leadership and management practices. The context within which head teachers operate influences their leadership and management practices and capacity development.