Clark Construction - Activation Kit

Your activation guide is designed to help you apply key concepts from your Groops to your daily work life.

G1: Groops Kick Off + Assessment

Group Connection Concept

Welcome to Groops!

Groops helps teams feel and function their best.

We bring together psychology, coaching, and data to strengthen connection, collaboration, and performance. Think of us as your team psychologist -  here to help your group understand itself better, work through dynamics, and grow together.

What to Expect:

  • Team + Individual Psychology-Based Assessment

  • Custom Coaching Program delivered through regular Groops (12/year)

  • Four 1:1 coaching sessions (30 min each)

  • Anonymous surveys + insight reports with guidance from a team psychology expert

Cohesion is a business asset – not just a feeling. 

Teams with strong social cohesion are more resilient, communicate more effectively, and perform better. Here are some characteristics of high and low cohesion / performing teams.

High Cohesion / High Performing

  • Psychological safety is high

  • Feedback is direct and well received

  • Conflict is addressed constructively

  • Clear roles, shared goals, and ownership

  • Trust is visible in day-to-day actions

  • People feel valued and connected

  • Energy is focused and collaborative

  • Team members lift each other up

Low Cohesion / Low Performing

  • People hold back or avoid speaking up

  • Feedback is rare or poorly delivered

  • Conflict is avoided or becomes toxic

  • Ambiguity, finger-pointing, or blame

  • Low trust, siloed behavior

  • People feel isolated or unseen

  • Meetings feel draining or performative

  • Team feels flat, resistant, or passive

Self Reflection

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

  • How cohesive is your team (0-10)? What makes you say that?

  • When is your team at its best? What does that feel like?

  • What do you want to get out of this program – personally and as a team?

Take Action

  1. Read over the list of high and low cohesion / performing teams and take note of which characteristics you notice in yourself and your team.

  2. What makes you think this? What have you observed?

  3. List 2 things you can try in the next two weeks that would contribute to a high cohesion / high performing team.

  4. Schedule a private 1-on-1 with your Groop Guide to go over the 2 things you would like to try before your next Groop.

G2: Reviewing How We Work: Team Assessment Results

Group Connection Concept

Team Assessment

Your team took part in a team assessment to see areas of strengths, areas for growth, and how each member contributes to the dynamic of the team. Results are shared in the Groop as well as in your individual Member Profile reports.

Overarching Shared Team Goals:

  • Deepen trust and cohesion within the team.

  • Enhance individual leadership skills and self-awareness.

  • Align team efforts with a clear, shared cultural identity.

  • Improve the ability to support, inspire, and guide others.

Team Strengths

  • Comfort with independent decision-making – Team members feel confident making decisions on their own when necessary.

  • High trust in teammates' intentions – There is a strong baseline of trust within the group.

  • Shared sense of purpose – Team members feel aligned around common goals.

  • Conflict resolution with collaboration in mind – They strive for win-win outcomes when disagreements arise.

  • Critical thinking and accountability – Members push each other to think critically and improve.

Team Areas for Growth

  • Conflict avoidance – Team members tend to avoid necessary conflict, suggesting discomfort with tension or direct disagreement.

  • Preference for fast decisions without full info – Scores suggest discomfort with ambiguity or impulsive decision-making.

  • Lower preference for group collaboration over independent work – Indicates that some team members may favor working alone.

  • Listening in meetings – The team may need to work on balancing airtime and ensuring active listening.

  • Valuing consensus over speed – Scores suggests that the team may not consistently prioritize alignment in decision-making.

Self Reflection

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

  • What strengths resonate with you?

  • What areas feel like growth opportunities?

  • What stood out or surprised you?

  • Complete this sentence: The goal of the Groops Program should be: ________________

Take Action

  1. Read over your individual Member Profile report.

  2. What thoughts or feelings come up for you as you are reading it?

  3. What feels right - what doesn’t?

  4. What areas of growth do you want to focus on?

  5. Schedule a private 1-on-1 with your Groop Guide to go over your Member Profile and discuss your thoughts / feelings / areas for growth.

G3: Constructive Conflict + Honest Dialogue

Group Connection Concept

Constructive Conflict

“Conflict is not the problem. Avoiding honest conversation is.”
 -  Patrick Lencioni, author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Conflict is natural.

It becomes harmful only when it’s ignored or mismanaged.

Honest disagreement is a sign of a strong team, not a broken one.

Conflict isn’t about being aggressive, it’s about being: clear, curious, and committed to the team.

Healthy Conflict

  • Direct, respectful conversations

  • Focus on issues, not people

  • Disagreement used to spark alignment

  • Openness to feedback and change

Unhealthy Conflict

  • Side conversations or silence

  • Finger-pointing or personal attacks

  • Disagreement avoided to maintain comfort

  • Defensiveness or shutting down

Self Reflection

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

  • How does your team typically handle disagreement?

  • What’s your personal style when conflict shows up?

  • How do you want to handle conflict as a team when it arises?

Take Action

1. Try using some of this language as it minimizes defensiveness:

  • “I noticed (observable behaviors) and I feel (the feeling you feel) because (the thought in your mind).”

  • “What are you thinking and feeling? Let’s figure this out together.”

2. How does using this language make you feel? What makes this comfortable or not comfortable for you?

3. How might you tailor this to sound like your leadership style?

4. Set up time for a private 1-on-1 with your Groop Guide to go over your thoughts and feelings about this exercise or just to practice and find language that feels right to you.

G4: Listening to Understand

Group Connection Concept

Understanding, not just listening.

We often listen to reply - not to understand.

Real listening means slowing down, being curious, and holding space for others to share fully. True listening is an act of respect, humility, and connection.

When we listen deeply, collaboration and productivity increase by 25–55% (Forbes, International Listening Association). Here are some tools to become a more effective listener:

Effective Listening:

Focused and present

Open body language

Reflect back what you hear

Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions

Pause before responding

Ineffective Listening:

Interrupting or jumping in

Thinking of your reply instead of listening

Dismissing or minimizing others’ points

Multitasking or distracted listening

Advice giving without asking questions first

Self Reflection

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

  • How well do you listen to understand? (0-10)

  • How well do you think the team as a whole listens to understand? (0–10)

  • What makes this difficult? What makes this easy?

  • What helps you feel truly listened to?

  • How can you and your team improve your listening culture?

Take Action

1. This week, practice using OARS during one of your conversations:

O - Open Questions (“What are you wrestling with?”)

A - Affirmations (“You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this.”)

R - Reflective Listening (“You’re feeling stuck and it is hard to take action.”)

S - Summarizing (“So far I’ve heard you say the organization needs you to do X, and you’re thinking about trying Y to get there.”)

2. How did that feel? What worked? What can be improved?

3. To get more practice, schedule a 1:1 with your Groop Guide and have an expert guide you and provide feedback.