Findings of a study that examined the administrative practices of effective senior administrators in Ontario, Canada are presented in this paper, which is based on the theoretical concept of "facilitative power" as described by Dunlap and Goldman (1991). This approach views effective leadership as working through others rather than exercising power over them. Data were obtained from interviews conducted in 10 Ontario school systems with 10 chief executive officers who were identified by their peers as effective. Findings indicate that administrators spent much of their time in meetings and interaction with diverse groups. They viewed their efforts as bringing potentially antagonistic forces together and as providing support. The data supported the concept of facilitative power, in that the administrators' practices focused on working through people in the system to achieve improvement or to reach a vision. Eight tables are included. (LMI)