I'm the communications director for a statewide association representing Wisconsin's publicly elected school board members. Most of them are serving part-time alongside their jobs and families, and it's our team's job to make sure they can contribute to the success of their community's students. I am also an experienced writer and communications professional who believes that working with empathy and building respectful relationships is at the heart of success. We know kindness is the right thing to do — and it works. Listening to our audience, measuring what we do and building these trusting relationships is a recipe not only for success, but for feeling confident and enthusiastic about what we do.