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Not all of your contacts turn out to be useful.
This is to be expected and should not discourage you. In some cases, more time and more contact will be necessary. In other cases, the contact may be dropped for the time being. Even so, it is useful to make at least an annual visit in order to present an oral or written report. Keeping in contact demonstrates that you are concerned about the relationship, even if there is little or no common ground in terms of the program.
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You have established relationships with individuals who are on opposing sides of a critical issue.
There is a danger of developing relationships which draw you closely into the concerns of those to whom you relate. You may be tempted to take sides with those who have become friends in causes in which they are involved. If these causes are unrelated to areas of common interest, it is inappropriate to express an opinion one way or the other. You need to maintain relationships (potentially or actually) with those who may be on the opposite side. If the cause is related to areas of common interest, you must assess how far you wish to be identified with the position your friend is taking. You may want to develop an independent line, or to remain neutral.
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Some of your contacts have a political agenda for the language program.
There is a danger that those to whom you relate closely may wish to use the language program for their own political ends. Resist this by developing and maintaining evenhanded and positive contacts with all sides, as far as possible.
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You lack access to key personnel.
There will be people whom you wish to contact but to whom it is difficult to gain access. If this remains the case after repeated attempts, the best course of action may be to develop contacts with someone close to them. This may eventually give you the access you need.
