This author, superintendent of Winnetka Public Schools (a K-8 district in the northern suburbs of Chicago), shares a board president's perspective that may help shed some light on one of the superintendent's most challenging jobs: successfully working with a board of education. Why is it so challenging? Certainly because in the current culture of accountability boards can be more demanding than ever, but there is another more important reason. If one believes, as the author does, that shared leadership makes for a stronger school district, it must start with the relationship between the superintendent and the school board. In this chapter, the author speaks eloquently from a board member's perspective about the steep learning curve that she experienced and how she developed a productive working relationship with her superintendent and with other board members. (Contains 4 notes.)