Research has provided an increasing amount of information about the work-related behaviors associated with effective school administrator practices. Considerably less is known about the factors that bring individuals to pursue school leadership positions and enroll in principal preparation programs. The focus of this paper is research on the factors influencing the socialization experiences of 87 aspiring and incumbent principals prior to and during their participation in the Northwest Territories Principal Certification Program. Analysis of responses to survey questions identified 12 factors as influences on the candidates' decision to pursue training for the principalship. The following four factors were most strongly represented: skill development; pursuit of knowledge; "step in the career ladder"; and "desire to broaden or gain perspective." Findings indicate that relationships with subordinates, peers, and subordinates, were not strong influences on decisions to pursue a principalship or seek training; on the other hand, once a decision to pursue training has been made, the data suggest that the actual choice of a training program can be significantly influenced by others. In the case of the Northwest Territories program, the steady encouragement provided by regional officials and incumbent principals to their subordinates appears to have had a positive impact, as did also the perceived quality of the program as reported by participants. However, preliminary results suggest that the socializing factors which most significantly influenced decisions to pursue both the principalship and training were those motivators derived from the individual's inner processes. (23 references) (MLF)