Public schools and its leaders are expected to prepare America's children to be contributing and informed members of society. More specifically, public school principals in Arizona are expected to be flexible and responsive as they lead school improvement on their campuses. They are also expected to comply with mandates (particularly state) which ultimately require them to utilize predetermined approaches and products with fidelity. This situation highlights a reality of principal leadership that Hughes et. al. (2019) suggested was highly discouraging to incoming principals, namely that principals were forced to adopt a compliance mindset if they wanted to continue in their role. Building on the foundation of this research, the investigator interviewed active, experienced, public-school principals (n=12) in the Phoenix Metropolitan area and utilized a grounded theory approach to analyze the principals' perceptions about their ability to respond to challenges and adopt innovative practices. This study uncovered how principals increasingly adopt a compliance mindset as they follow district guidelines. This study also highlighted a leadership paradox that exists in Arizona public schools, namely, that principals are faulted for following mandated programs and policies by the very forces that dominate education and require their fidelity to compliance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]