The purpose of this study was to explore adult basic education (ABE) directors’ perceptions of their leadership while implementing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title II, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), at the local level. The study employed Bolman and Deal’s four frames of leadership as the theoretical framework to create a multi-dimensional analysis of directors’ perceptions of their leadership and management. This basic qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with participants as the primary method of data collection. The findings of this study indicated that ABE directors perceived that they had a highly structured approach to the leadership and management of their organizations. However, autonomy and flexibility were needed to adapt and respond to challenges introduced by federal and state-level directives. Furthermore, directors suggested that they had to attend to many relationships and highly valued the staff at their organizations. Findings also suggested that ABE directors were navigating an environment of resource scarcity, which called for a political approach to obtain buy-in and resources. Finally, ABE directors perceived that mission and vision as well as celebrations and ceremonies were valuable symbolic components of their leadership and organizations. The study concluded that ABE directors’ ability to be both a manager and a leader while balancing demands at the federal, state, and local level is critical to the success of ABE centers. This research contributes to literature on ABE directors and their leadership and suggests implications for policy, practice, theory, and future research. This study’s framework is transferable to research investigating the impact of policy on leadership and management within various contexts.