ABSTRACT
The best board members see the good and bad in constituencies for what they are yet promote the positive energy over and above their bad energy. They ensure that they pay positive and continual attention to those things that are helpful to the board and mutually agreeable among constituencies and less attention to those that cannibalize one another. If the scouting group and area fast-food lobby all share a common interest in helping the local humane society have a pet-friendly hiking trail on school grounds, that will be where the Difference Maker spends time and energy. The best boards know that the superintendents they hire can and should work with community groups to provide for their individual members' needs for safety, love, and belonging. As a board member, one have a pivotal role through relationships to encourage all those with whom he/she come in contact to feel significant through the difference he/her make in their lives.
