As part of the International Successful School Leadership Project, an updated model of successful school leadership based on Australian case studies is described. This model attempts to capture the relationship between the characteristics of the school leader (who they are), the interventions they initiate (what they do), and the way they respond to the context in which they operate. The model is interrogated by exploring three areas of our continuing research: the role of instructional leadership, sustainability of success, and the preparation of future school leaders. (Contains 2 figures.)