Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the essential political competencies needed by current or future superintendents when presented with challenges. Conceptual Framework. The conceptual framework for this study integrated elements of Adaptive Leadership, Political Intelligence, and the Taxonomy of Leadership Competencies to demonstrate their complimentary value to the role of school superintendents in challenging times. Methodology: The Delphi method was appropriate for this study as it relies on the opinions of the participants based on their knowledge of a given topic to provide forecasting for future conditions. This study included both qualitative and quantitative measures to achieve the data needed to determine consensus. Findings and Conclusions: Superintendent departures are projected to double, and the culprit of such exacerbation has been linked to several challenges disruptive to leadership stability impacting student population. Superintendents weighed in on topics relevant to their roles and provided input on challenge related Pre-Service -- Leadership Competencies they felt were critical to their occupation - and shared their opinion on the importance of each Political Intelligence Facet when presented with challenges. Superintendents stated that School Board Relations, Politics, Emotional Intelligence, Crisis Response, and Communication were "Extremely Important" topics that ought to be embedded in superintendent Pre-Service Training to support their response to challenges. They further identified Key Leadership Competencies that ought to be obtained, overwhelmingly determining that the Political Intelligence Facets of "trust," "power," "futurity," and "empathy with purpose" were "Extremely Important." This research study confirms the complexities of the Superintendency and identified how Political Intelligence and Adaptive Leadership demonstrate an interlacing resemblance to Leadership Competencies. Recommendations: Further research on a Political Leadership Competency model reflecting the acute complexities of the superintendency is needed. An additional critical consideration worth exploring would be the training and support for current and future superintendents in this area. While this research study was needed to identify the complimentary value of Political Intelligence, Leadership Competencies, and Adaptive Leadership, continued research efforts must be directed toward building and sustaining relationship with School Board members and other constituents with competing expectations. [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.]