This study aims to investigate how preschool teachers perceive the leadership styles of the school principals they work with, as they have a significant impact on student performance and school atmosphere. Therefore, a mixed-method research paradigm was utilized with a purposive random sampling method of 114 pre-school teachers at public schools. School Principals' Leadership Style Scale together with the demographic information part and a metaphor elicitation form, were applied to collect the necessary data. Because a convergent parallel design was utilized to weigh the processes equally, quantitative and qualitative data were evaluated independently, and the results were interpreted separately. The results revealed that, according to pre-school teachers' perceptions, the principals they work with show their laissez-faire leadership style more. Unlike quantitative findings, data from the metaphor elicitation form indicate that the category with the most metaphors for a school principal is a figure of authority. Although the descriptive findings of teachers' impressions show that most school principals have a laissez-faire leadership style, metaphors portray school principals as persons who have power at school, supervise their team, have varied tasks, and are motivators and innovators. To sum up, it can be put forward that effective leadership is a crucial necessity of successful organizations, and principals need to take an active part in the preparation process to go a step further in their careers and lead their organizations more effectively. The results revealed that, according to pre-school teachers' perceptions, the principals they work with show their laissez-faire leadership style more. Unlike quantitative findings, data from the metaphor elicitation form indicate that the category with the most metaphors for a school principal is a figure of authority. Although the descriptive findings of teachers' impressions show that most school principals have a laissez-faire leadership style, metaphors portray school principals as persons who have power at school, supervise their team, have varied tasks, and are motivators and innovators. To sum up, it can be put forward that effective leadership is a crucial necessity of successful organizations, and principals need to take an active part in the preparation process to go a step further in their careers and lead their organizations more effectively.