Covey (1990) suggested that to achieve success in leadership, one must identify core values and principles and ensure that managerial and organizational systems are aligned with these values and principles. These values explained by Covey in principle-centered leadership are built upon the foundation principles of trustworthiness at the personal level and trust at the interpersonal level, which allows for empowerment at the managerial level and alignment at the organizational level. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore rural superintendents' experiences in the application of principle-centered leadership in their school districts. This study was conducted with 10 superintendents representing rural public school districts in East Texas. Participants from the study were purposely chosen from several different counties as well as from districts of varying sizes of student enrollment. This study affirms that practicing principle-centered leadership helps superintendents to become effective leaders in their districts. During this study, it was apparent that effective superintendents practice the tenets of principle-centered leadership with different methods and actions based on their beliefs and personalities. In addition, it was apparent in the study that trustworthiness and trust is the foundation of principle centered leadership, which allows for empowerment and alignment to vision.