Research highlights the effectiveness of schools within the United States (U.S.), but there is a dearth of research on the impact of superintendents on their organizations' effectiveness and performance. Now is the time to fill important gaps on the role of the superintendent and their influence on their organization's culture, its employees, and resultant performance--both academic and organizational. This qualitative study examines how superintendents' perceived behaviors influence organizational culture and are transmitted throughout their organizations to optimize human potential and enable academic and organizational performance. It examined superintendents' understanding of organizational culture in relation to their perceived leadership approaches. Data were gathered from nineteen superintendents located in every region in the U.S. This qualitative study revealed contradictions within superintendents' leadership approaches and a limited understanding of organizational culture, which can decrease superintendents' and their organizations' effectiveness. The discussion highlights the significance of superintendents' understanding of how organizational culture works as a mediating factor on the optimization of human potential and performance and the necessity of their acquiring culture shaping acumen to create advantage for their school districts. [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.]