Something to doWorking with your manager
Get to know your new manager
A simple conversation to learn what your new manager cares about, and help them learn how you work
Why it’s worth your time
Asking early what a new manager cares about tells you where to aim your effort. Telling them how you work helps them manage you well from the start. Together, it turns an unknown into a working relationship while first impressions are still forming.
How to build a relationship with a new manager
You’ll come away with a clear sense of what your new manager cares about, and a head start on working together.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Ask for time in their first few weeks.
Thirty minutes, early. Say it's to understand their priorities and help them get up to speed, so it reads as help rather than a list of complaints.
To: your new managerWelcome! I'd love 30 minutes in your first few weeks to understand what you're focused on and how you like to work, and to fill you in on my area.
I'll bring a one-page summary of what I'm working on, so you can get a quick picture before we talk.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Bring a one-page view of your area.
What you're working on, what's going well, what's stuck, and one or two decisions coming up. It's one of the most useful things you can hand a new manager, and it gets your account in early.
- Ask about their priorities.
Listen for what their own manager is asking of them. That usually shapes everything else.
You“What are you hoping to get done in your first few months, and what does success look like for you?” - Ask how they work, and what they've heard.
The second question can feel bold. It's the useful one, because it tells you what impression is already forming while there's still time to add to it.
You“How do you like to get updates, and what's the best way to flag a problem? And what have you heard about my area so far?” - Tell them how you work too.
How you like to get feedback, when you do your best work, what you need from a manager. They can't give you what you need if they don't know what it is.
You“Here's what helps me do my best work, in case it's useful as you get to know the team.”
Good moments for this: in a new manager's first few weekswhen your manager's priorities changeafter a reorg
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
Keep going with Truest
Small actions add up. Truest helps you find the next thing worth doing, make the space to do it, and keep a record of your progress. It’s a private place to work on your career, and it’s yours, not your employer’s.
- It actually happensDo it now, and you’ve invested in your career today.
- How you work, written downTruest turns how you work into a page of your own.
- It’s yours to keepEach thing you do is saved to your private record, there when your next review or job search comes around.
Anything else we can help you with this week?
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
If something was broken under the last manager, it may well be worth raising, just not first. Learn their priorities, then bring it up in terms of what they're trying to do.
What might make this harder
Be honest with yourself about that, and give them a real chance anyway. Making their first months easier is also one of the better ways to be considered for the next opening.
Questions people ask
How do I build a relationship with a new manager?
Ask for time in their first few weeks, bring a short summary of your work, ask about their priorities and how they like to work, and tell them how you work best.
What questions should I ask a new boss?
Ask what they hope to get done in their first few months, how they like to be kept informed, and what they've already heard about your area.
How do I make a good first impression on a new manager?
Make their first weeks easier: give them a clear picture of your work, ask what they're trying to achieve, and raise problems with suggestions attached.
What should I tell a new manager about myself?
Whatever would save them guessing: how you take feedback best, when you're at your best, and what support helps you most. A few lines is plenty.
Why this works, and where it comes from
A new manager builds a picture of their team fast, from whatever reaches them first: the handover notes, a few conversations, what their own boss tells them. A lot of what they think of your work can take shape in those first few weeks. If you wait for them to come to you, someone else draws your part of the picture.
Michael Watkins' The First 90 Days describes what a leader in a new role is going through: learning fast, working out what their own boss expects, and looking for early wins. From your seat, that's useful to know. Your new manager needs to learn quickly, and you can be one of their best sources. Helping them get up to speed isn't flattery; it's contributing to their success, and people tend to remember who did.
It works in both directions. A new manager has no history to guess from, so they can't give you what you need if you've never said what it is. Telling them early how you work best is one of the few ways to shape a new situation instead of waiting to see what it's like. It also invites them to tell you how they work, which saves you both months of trial and error.
If they've arrived in the middle of a crisis, a layoff or a project in trouble, this isn't the week for a getting-to-know-you conversation. Offer help with whatever's on fire, and suggest the longer talk once things calm down. Being useful first is still the point; the questions can wait a few weeks.
Other simple things to consider
More in Working with your manager
See allRead this alongside your role page
Tell Truest what you’re dealing with
We read every one, and we write guides for the things that come up most. Leave your email if you’d like to hear when we do.
Written by Truest, based on The First 90 Days (Michael D. Watkins). Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.