Building A Cohesive Team

The sum is rarely greater than its parts.
Let’s change that.

Strong teams don’t happen by accident. Even the most talented individuals can fall short of their potential when cohesion is missing. The result? Ideas die early, collaboration breaks down, and strategy turns into siloed execution.

In this keynote (or immersive workshop), Mario Van der Meulen reveals a practical, human framework for building high-performing, trust-based teams—even in the face of ambiguity, leadership change, or cross-functional complexity.

Rooted in decades of design leadership, organizational transformation, and product innovation, Mario delivers a playbook that’s as actionable as it is inspiring.

You’ll learn how to:

• Diagnose dysfunction and shift the invisible dynamics that hold teams back

• Build trust without team therapy—and why healthy conflict is essential

• Create clarity of commitment (not just alignment theater)

• Establish real accountability without micromanagement

• Lead with purpose and outcomes instead of KPIs alone

This is not a “teambuilding” pep talk. It’s a performance framework for teams that need to operate at speed, across disciplines, with increasing pressure—and still stay human.

Available Formats

• Keynote Talk (40–60 min)

• Half-Day Primer (Hands-On Framework Introduction)

• 1–2 Day Deep-Dive Workshop for intact teams or leadership groups

Key Takeaways

• Build lasting trust and clarity in how your team works

• Facilitate healthy conflict that sharpens, not divides

• Strengthen commitment and ownership across roles

• Create a shared focus on results, not just roles

• Leave with a Team Operating Canvas and next-step action plan

Tools You’ll Gain

• Team Cohesion Diagnostic Template

• Conflict Culture Mapping Canvas

• Commitment & Accountability Loop

• Team Operating System Blueprint

• Follow-Up Implementation Plan

This Talk is For:

• Design, product, and innovation teams

• Leadership teams navigating change or growth

• Cross-functional groups with competing priorities

• Teams seeking to reconnect after hybrid work, reorgs, or new leadership

What Past Teams Say

“Mario’s session was a turning point. We found clarity, called out the dysfunctions we were ignoring, and left with a plan. Not fluff—real work.”
— Chief Product Officer

“We didn’t just talk about team health—we rebuilt our operating model around it.”
— SVP Innovation

“The most useful team session I’ve had in 10 years of leadership.”
— Head of Design

Why It Matters

Because strategy without cohesion is chaos.
And talent without trust burns out.

This talk/workshop will help you build a team that doesn’t just work together—but wins together.