Purpose: Trust among teachers in schools is significantly related to student achievement and trust in school leaders is an important influence on such trust. The purpose of this study is to identify leadership practices which teachers interpret as signs of trustworthiness on the part of their principals. Design/methodology/approach: Evidence for the study was provided by post-observation interviews with 24 randomly selected teachers in three "high trust" and three "low trust" schools selected from a much larger sample of schools included in a national study. Coding of interview data was guided by a framework of trust antecedents identified through a wide-ranging review of empirical research. Findings: Results demonstrated that teacher trust in principals is most influenced by leadership practices which teachers interpret as indicators of competence, consistency and reliability, openness, respect and integrity. Originality/value: These results, generally consistent with previous research, specify, in much greater detail than has been reported to date, leadership trust-building practices. (Contains 9 tables and 3 notes.)