Ways in which women practice power in the central office and the perceptions of those practices are explored in this study. The paper raises the questions: "How can a woman be perceived as successful in a central-office administrative position?""How is success defined by those with whom she works?" and "What do her colleagues accept as successful behaviors, attitudes, and actions?" After a review of success and socialization issues, the study methodology is explained. Data were collected in two school districts in two midwestern U.S. cities. The subjects included five women who are central-office administrators but are not superintendents. To secure data, open-ended interviews and "non-interviews" were combined with information secured from the women's coworkers. The results suggest that the collaborative, consensus-building process typical of these women was valued by most of the respondents. The women placed importance on outcomes secured as a result of one's efforts, and all agreed that having good interpersonal skills was essential. It was found that upper echelon women administrators were more likely to be accepted in districts where the superintendent delegated full organizational power to the women. Other findings are reported. (RJM)