Improving school leadership is now high on the list of priorities for school reform. Principals are considered key actors responsible for the successful management of all administrative functions of schools. They bear a great responsibility for maintaining the effective internal functioning of school systems, representing the schools in the community, and implementing educational policies. Principals also act as role models who promote the ethical and professional growth of teachers and other professional staff. Ultimately, school leaders have an indirect but significant impact on student learning and achievement. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the social representation of competencies needed for an effective school principal to manage the administrative and instructional process. The participants were 119 female teachers who teach at the elementary level. A standardized task based on the free association method was used to collect data. Participants’ responses were analyzed lexically and semantically to differentiate associations from a qualitative perspective. The structural approach based on the analysis of prototypical categories was also used. The qualitative and quantitative analyzes revealed three facets of teachers’ representation of the competencies of a successful school leader. These dimensions included: a) the mission and basic competencies of a school leader; b) managing interpersonal relationships; c) skills, attitudes, and motivation for managerial career.