This paper presents some preliminary insights into basic modes of behaviour employed by successful school principals, as learned from five such Israeli principals. The five schools they head, which are located in the southern region of Israel, present different stages and sectors: two elementary schools (of approximately 500 1st to 6th grade students), and three high schools (of approximately 1300 7th to 12th grade students), one of which is a religious school. All five were recognized by the ministry of education and the municipalities as the most successful of the 400 in the region. Learning from earlier ISSPP and other findings, we know that successful principals provide a vision, create high expectations, present a role model, strengthen their school’s culture and so on, but how do they do it? What are the basic traits that help them execute their principalship? Our initial findings indicate four such traits: (1) being diligent and systematic – working hard, leaving no paperwork for tomorrow and never being too tired from pick up a paper from the floor; (2) being a listener and responsive - allowing people (both inside and outside the school) to speak and express themselves, learning their needs and negotiating them; (3) courage - daring to speak, act and operate according to their way and beliefs; and (4) having a balanced personal life - a healthy family life that frees them from worry and loss of emotional energy. While these traits alone are not sufficient for becoming a successful principal, they seem to constitute the necessary infrastructure for good principalship. Rationale, examples, and comparison with earlier studies will be presented in this paper.