The authors are pre-tenured faculty at dissimilar institutions in different regions of the USA, who found themselves in similar, unenviable positions – both were assigned to administrative positions that they did not seek. This study is an investigation of their processes of becoming leaders and how they aligned and/ or conflicted with their espoused beliefs. The data revealed an evolution in the authors' practice and identities as leaders, in some ways paralleling the change stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing outlined in team-building models. Data analysis revealed an evolution in their practice and identities as administrators.