Although scholars have developed and applied various explicit conceptualizations of leadership to the study of educational administration, far less attention has been given to implicit or informal conceptions of leadership. Some recent studies claim that leadership impact on organizational performance is minimal or illusory; others argue that more subtle, previously unexamined forms of influence may be operating. This study examines: (1) the extent to which educators distinguish between the notions of leader, formal leader, and informal leader; (2) the behaviors educators associate with the concept of leadership; and (3) whether subgroups among educators hold different implicit theories of leadership. The University of Utah College of Education furnished 168 student participants, 79 from educational studies, 36 from special education, and 53 from educational administration. A questionnaire divided into demographic, open-ended, and self-assessment sections was used. Students were asked to describe the behaviors of a formal leader, an informal leader, and a leader; they were also asked to rate their desire and capacity to serve in each leadership category. Findings suggest that participants shared a relatively coherent concept of leadership. Respondents' concepts of leader may be slightly more closely aligned with their concepts of formal than with informal leader. The leadership inclination section showed more mixed results. Included are 4 tables and 19 references. (MLH)