PurposeThe aim of this study is to better understand how principals in Turkey perceive and navigate overwhelming stress and to identify leadership practices that enable coping with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the stress factors, coping strategies and leadership experiences that the principals faced during the pandemic through semi-structured interviews with 12 school principals.FindingsThe results of the research showed that the stressors perceived by the principals were reflected in their leadership practices. The leadership practices of the principals in this period were interpreted as their reactions to perceived stressors. In addition, ensuring the self-care and well-being of principals has been evaluated as a prerequisite for successful crisis leadership. Leadership practices that are effective in achieving crisis leadership in the context of the pandemic are explained.Practical implicationsImplications were made for the development of a comprehensive theory of crisis leadership that focuses on the well-being of school leaders and the development of leadership skills. Further empirical research on how leadership is achieved in different types of crises is recommended.Originality/valueOur research contributes to the existing knowledge and school leaders about how crisis leadership is achieved by revealing the complexity and multidimensional structure of school leadership in the context of the pandemic.

While there is consensus that teacher leadership plays an important role in school development, it is often unclear what exactly teacher leadership requires. However, there is limited understanding regarding the driving forces that impact the rise and progression of teacher leadership within the Turkish educational framework. The objective of this study is to analyze the perspectives of teachers concerning the significance of motivation in relation to their capacity to assume leadership roles within the teaching profession. Phenomenological design, which is one of the qualitative research methods was used in this study. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers selected with purposive sampling method. The driving forces that affect teachers’ transition from a teaching role to a leadership role in the emergence of teacher leadership were examined on the basis of the "Motivation to Lead Model" of Chan and Drasgow (2001). The research findings partially supported the claims that professional tendencies in the teaching profession might transform into teacher leadership. While the findings of the research partially supported the previous research results on motivation in teacher leadership, they largely explained the importance of motivation to lead in teacher leadership. A number of recommendations have been made to researchers and education policymakers that take individual differences in teacher leadership into account to maximize investment in leadership education and development.