The study examined leadership in schools as interaction between principals and teachers. The leadership process was conceptualized as the exercise of influence. The concept of ascriptive status was utilized to describe women as atypical and men as typical principals. Teachers responded to protocols depicting leader influence and cultural status. Results were analyzed using factorial analysis of variance. The findings suggested a reconceptualization of leadership as interactive behavior in which organizational outcomes are a function not only of the exercise of influence but also of the status of the leader as perceived by organizational members and the status and background of those members. (Author)