Educational leadership skills are usually acquired through rigorous formal education, whether at a master's level or a doctoral level. Currently, most principals in elementary and secondary schools around the world hold some minimally prescribed formal educational leadership degrees. In Ghana where this study took place; there has been a plethora of educational institutions headed by founders who do not necessarily possess established formal degrees. This phenomenon seems to be the case in a number of African countries, where people have the money to build institutions but do not necessarily have the formal educational backing to head these institutions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore whether or not informal organizational skills could play a determinant factor in the ability to hold significant educational leadership roles. Using a case study approach, several persons were observed and interviewed. Principals with formal degrees were also interviewed for comparison. Staff and faculty from one particular institution headed by a specified principal with little formal education were interviewed. Focus groups were held to assist with validity of information from the interviewees. The findings of this research seemed to conclude that although formal education is necessary to ensure that proper education is available to all who enroll in institutions, organizational skills as well as human relations such as approachability and empathy played significant roles in how principals are perceived; which in turn affect how well they are able to lead those under their care. [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.]