Game development teams face unique pressures: tight production cycles, cross-functional complexity, and the aftermath of industry-wide restructuring. Leaders need practical ways to rebuild trust, clarify roles, and help people understand how they uniquely contribute to team success.
Mattering Lab specializes in exactly that. We leverage CliftonStrengths, Gallup’s research-backed framework for talent development, to help game development teams build the psychological safety, clarity, and collaboration that make great work, and great games, possible.
mike knox, Founder, Trainer, & Coach
It’s dangerous to go alone…
Take this…
Every team’s journey is different. Whether you’re building foundations, accelerating alignment, or sustaining transformation over time, here’s how we can work together, using CliftonStrengths, to build the culture your team deserves.
Core Offerings: Building Foundations
Level 1: Foundations
2 hours | $5,000
An introduction to strengths-based development.
- Understand individual talent profiles and how they shape team dynamics
- Apply strengths immediately to improve day-to-day collaboration and communication
- Establish a shared language that reduces friction and increases clarity
Level 2: Team Alignment
4 hours | $9,500
Immersive team experience that deepens the foundations.
- Reveal team-wide strengths patterns, imbalances, and blind spots that impact performance
- Practice strengths-based collaboration across real team scenarios and challenges
- Establish clear team norms and commitments that improve cross-discipline alignment, accelerate decision-making during production cycles, and strengthen accountability across distributed teams
Level 3: Applied Leadership
8 hours | $18,000
CliftonStrengths integrated with high-impact leadership capabilities to strengthen how leaders motivate, align, and develop their teams.
Includes core strengths content + targeted leadership modules selected to address your team’s most critical challenges:
- Change Readiness
- Motivating Your Team
- Psychological Safety Foundations
- Inclusive Leadership
- Coaching and Effective Feedback
- Communication & Collaboration
Coaching
More updates coming soon, but I'm sleepy, so my apologies for the unfinished website - mike (06.03.2026)
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Elixir of Power
This interactive learning experience leverages Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment for individuals and teams that want to take their contributions, communication, collaboration, and productivity to a new level.
Safety Gear
This experience will enable individuals and teams to better understand and implement concrete practices to create psychologically safe spaces that enable innovation and authenticity.
XP Generator
This workshop is designed for leaders, to help you move from manager to coach, so you can get the very best out of your teams. Learn how to give effective feedback that engages and develops your team and inspires results!
Antidote
In this workshop, participants will learn to recognize and combat bias at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, and societal levels.
We will identify and articulate our individual connections and commitments to DEI work, learn more about ourselves and others, and explore meaningful policies and strategies that help inoculate us against intended, and unintended, harmful practices.
Healing Brew
Through this workshop, participants will develop a deeper understanding of their own gender identities and how harmful gender norms can negatively impact our workplaces. We will co-construct our own healthy definitions of masculinity, that allow for everyone to show up more authentically, in a space that values diverse gender identity and expression.
Chaos Balm
This workshop prepares leaders to effectively manage change and help their teams navigate through uncertain times. By understanding the unique needs of followers, leaders can communicate effectively, tell inspiring change stories, and accelerate the success of change within the organization.
CONTACT
Email us at info[at]matteringlab.com to request a free consultation.
For more detailed information on Mattering Lab and our training options, download the Mattering Lab Overview
OUR CLIENTS
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Social Impact
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Gamers for CHOC is Mattering Lab’s main charitable organization. It is an industry-specific initiative to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. To date, Gamers for CHOC has brought together more than 50 organizations in gaming to raise over $700,000, more than $65,000 of which was raised by Mattering Lab through a project our founder, mike knox, calls Chalk for CHOC. Give to CHOC here. |
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Women in Games International (WIGI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that champions a safe, inclusive, and diverse workforce in the video game, tabletop, and esports industries with equal access and opportunities for all. Mattering Lab supports WIGI with direct donations as well as pro bono training sessions for the WIGI Mentorship Program. Give to WIGI here. |
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AbleGamers is on a mission to create opportunities that enable play for people with disabilities and improve their quality of life while prioritizing two core objectives: enabling people with disabilities to access video games with ease and empowering game creators and developers to design games with maximum accessibility. Mattering Lab supports AbleGamers with direct donations. Give to AbleGamers here. |