TIRED of Personal Politics?
...the Tension?
...the Stress?

TIRED of Walking on Eggshells?

It saps everyone's energy and distracts the attention that needs to be focused on getting the work done.

You miss a deadline because this one isn't talking to that one. You spend too much time sorting out office politics. You just want to get the job done -- done well -- and you can't do it alone.

People usually aren't openly angry and yelling at each other, but you can cut the "icy niceness" with a knife. If you hear, "But nobody told me!" again you might explode.

What's going on here?

You hired good people. They believe in the mission and they want to work here. You notice the tension and ask about it, but all you get is, "I'm fine," or "It's nothing."

You know that people can't do their best work while they're walking on eggshells. Or seething in silence. Or wrapped up in office gossip.

Your group may look great to the outside world, but inside -- that's another story. And you're sick of the struggle and the drama. Sometimes you're tempted to get help from the outside. But then, you're not sure you want anyone else to see what's going on.

This may come as a shock: Your situation is normal. (Do you really want to be "normal"?) The good news is, your organization doesn't have to be normal. It's not impossible to be exceptional. And it's not as difficult as you might think.

Can we really help you?

Is this You?

Visionary. Idealist. Dreamer. However you say it, you see the big picture and have high expectations. It's become harder and harder to reach full potential because of the internal stress and conflicts within your team.

Back when your group was smaller, it was actually easier to get things done, even though everyone was stretched thin. Now you have more people, but it feels harder because so much energy goes into managing the politics.

You have more business than you ever expected -- nice problem to have! Everyone pitches in to do whatever needs doing -- but it's become chaotic. You're overwhelmed, just like everyone else. People's jobs aren't really aligned with their skills. Sorting this out would raise your efficiency dramatically. And you don't know where to begin.

You're working hard to make things run more smoothly. But the improvements don't last. You know that there's a lot going on beneath the surface that you haven't quite been able to put your finger on. And you want it fixed. Now.

Some mornings the mere thought of going to work exhausts you. This personality conflict over here, that turf battle over there, the rumor mill around the water cooler, the general atmosphere of turmoil -- you've just about had it. In spite of all your efforts, things haven't really changed.

You've known managers in the past who were able to overcome these problems, and you wonder what their secrets are. You didn't realize that leading teams could be this tricky. You miss that feeling of confidence you used to have.

The Second Wind Approach works for:

Groups of people working together with a common mission and goals,
in organizations large or small,
private, for-profit, non-profit, or governmental.

Teams with a purpose they believe in,
who want to do a good job at work that matters,
and enjoy the process -- maybe even have some fun at it!

You will love the Second Wind Process if you have these values:

You want your life's work to matter.
You believe life's too short to live it all stressed out.
You value cooperation and mutual respect.
You are inspired by collaborating with creative people.
You think it's possible to do good work and have fun at the same time.
You are open to new ideas and continually looking for "a better way." You want yourself, your co-workers, and your organization to be successful.