The Corentus Toolkit

A Toolkit for Real Teams, Doing Real Work

This Toolkit reflects over two decades of experience with leaders and teams across 30+ countries. We frequently point to our main tools and microtools throughout our site, and, more importantly, we use them every day in our work with teams. The tools we’ve chosen to highlight across our site are the ones we use most often, the ones clients consistently ask for, or find themselves needing.

What you’ll find below is an expanded list.

These tools are grounded in the Corentus Team Wheel framework, which outlines four key dimensions of team effectiveness:

Collaboration & Cohesion, Mutual Accountability, Common Purpose & Shared Goals, and Roles & Competencies.

Within those dimensions are 22 elements, and for those, we’ve developed both Main Tools and MicroTools to support targeted team development.

  • We define a Main Tool as: A robust collection of contextual insights, MicroTools, client cases, and more that help teams develop new skills and competencies.

  • We define a MicroTool as: A short, focused practice that can be taught and used in less than 10 minutes, ideal for busy teams that want to see immediate results.

We also know your organization may already be using tools from other sources. We welcome that. Our work is about effectiveness, and we’re happy to integrate tools your team already trusts.

Whether you’ve already identified a focus area where your team could go from good to great, or you’re still figuring out where to start, we’re here to help. Reach out to start the conversation.

Common Purpose

Main Team Tools:

  • Common Purpose & Shared Goals

  • Team Charter

Shared Goals

Main Team Tools:

  • Shared Goals

Scope of Work

Main Team Tools:

  • Building Organizational Relationships

  • Enterprise Mindset

  • Strategic vs. Operational vs. Tactical

Team Membership

Main Team Tools:

  • Team Member Onboarding

Team Leadership

Main Team Tools:

  • Innate Leadership

  • Leadership and Management

  • Leadership Promotions - The Golden Hour

  • Leading through Change

  • Strategic Leadership

Roles & Responsibilities

Main Team Tools:

  • RACI-D

MicroTools:

  • Offers & Needs

  • The 5 Drivers

Authority & Decision Rights

Main Team Tools:

  • Decision Making

Competencies

Meeting Effectiveness

Main Team Tools:

  • Intentional Meetings

MicroTools:

  • 3-Phase Method of Intentional Meetings

  • Formulating a Meeting Purpose

  • Meeting Work Sessions

  • Meeting Agenda

  • Meeting Styles

  • Openings & Closings (State of Mind)

  • Meeting Boosters

  • Meeting Derailers

  • Objectives - Process - Outcomes (O-P-O)

  • Zero to Five

  • Four Items for Follow Through

  • Shared Commitments for Follow Through

Conflict Management

Main Team Tools:

  • Conflict Management

MicroTools:

  • S-P-N-S

  • De-Escalating High Emotion

  • Triangulation

  • The Drama Triangle

  • Clearings

Planning & Organizing

Main Team Tools:

  • Delegation

  • Work Products Methodology

State of Mind & Energy

Main Team Tools:

  • State of Mind

  • Stress & Resilience

  • Building Resilience

  • The 4-Step Method (Heartmath)

  • KR Grieving Cycle

MicroTools:

  • State of Mind Check-in Chart

  • State of Mind Impact Chart

  • Joy Trio & Health Quad

  • Notice Shift Share

  • Coherence Breathing

  • Reframe

Problem Solving

Main Team Tools:

  • Leading Through Change

  • Creativity and Innovation

  • Culture Change

  • Managing Polarities

  • Functional Subgrouping

  • Cynefin Framework

MicroTool:

  • IQCS/IICS

Inclusion & Integration

Main Team Tools:

  • The Foundations of Team Cohesion (i4)

Decision Making

Main Team Tools:

  • Decision Making

MicroTools:

  • Decision Modes

  • Four-Stage Decision Process

Trust & Safety

Main Team Tools:

  • Psychological Safety

  • Trust

Communication

Main Team Tools:

  • Productive Conversations

  • Communication Behaviors of HPTs

  • Facts and Opinions

  • Transforming Complaints

MicroTools:

  • Bohm Dialogue

  • Listening

  • Skillful Dialogue

  • Proactive Engagement

  • Inquiry

Development & Growth

Main Team Tools:

  • The Thinking Path

  • Groupthink

  • Self-Awareness

  • Authenticity

  • The Engagement Cycle

  • Awakening