Something to doWorking with others
Meet the people your work touches
A simple listening tour for your first month, to learn what the people around your role need and how you can help
Why it’s worth your time
The people your work touches each see a different piece of your job, and none of it is written in the job description. A short conversation with each, early, tells you what they need, how they like to work and what success looks like from their side. It also starts each of those relationships with a question instead of a request.
How to do a listening tour in your first month
You’ll come away with notes from five or six conversations, and a clear sense of what each person needs from your role.
We’ll send one calendar invite per step.
- When's your first day?
The dates below are counted from your start date.
Set the date and every step below gets a real day.
- Your first few days · 15 minAsk your manager who you should meet, and list five to eight people whose work yours affects most, with a note on why each matters.
- End of your first week · 10 minSend each person a short invite for 20 minutes in the next two weeks.
- Weeks two and three · 60 minMeet each person and ask what they're working on, what they need from your role, and what you should know.
- Around day 30 · 15 minRead back through your notes and write down what more than one person said. Share a short version with your manager.
- End of the month · 10 minSend each person a line of thanks and one thing you're doing with what they told you.
We’ll send one calendar invite per step.
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 happensWe’ll put it on your calendar and remind you before it starts.
- A living page in your VaultKeep it as one page you add to, next to your reviews and your files.
- 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
Everyone you meet is measured on something. Knowing what makes their work go well explains a lot of what they'll ask of you.
What might make this harder
Ask for 15 minutes instead of 20, offer to fit their calendar, or ask your manager to make the introduction.
Questions people ask
Who should I meet when starting a new job?
The people whose work yours affects most: those who depend on you, those you depend on, and a few who see the bigger picture. Ask your manager for names, and ask each person who else you should meet.
What questions should I ask stakeholders in a new role?
What they're working on, what a good job from your role looks like to them, how they like to be kept in the loop, and what you should know that you might not hear elsewhere.
What is a listening tour?
A set of short conversations someone new holds with the people around their role, mostly to listen and learn before changing anything. It's common advice for new leaders, and it works at any level.
How many people should I meet in my first month?
Five to eight suits most roles: enough to see the job from several sides, and few enough that you can follow up with each person.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Every job looks different depending on where you stand. Your manager sees one version of it. The person who hands you work sees another, and the person who waits on what you produce sees a third. None of those versions are in the job description, and all of them are part of the job. In your first month you have a rare license to go and ask about them, because nobody finds it odd when the new person wants to understand.
That's all a listening tour is: a handful of short conversations, early, with the people your work touches, asking what they need and what you should know. The questions that matter most are about the other person: what they're working on, what a good job from your role looks like from their side, how they like to be kept in the loop. People can often tell you in twenty minutes what would take you months to work out alone.
It runs both ways. Once you've listened, say a little about how you like to work and what helps you. To the people you meet, questions before plans are a pleasant surprise; they suggest you'll understand before you change things, which is what most people quietly hope for from someone new. Starting with a question instead of a request also changes how your first request lands, whenever it comes.
The last two steps are where most people stop short. Looking across your notes for what more than one person said turns five conversations into an understanding of your job, and sharing it with your manager shows what you've learned. Following up with each person, naming one thing you're doing because of what they said, is what makes the listening count. It isn't the moment to fix everything you hear. Note it, understand it, and come back to it once you can see the whole picture.
Other simple things to consider
More in Working with others
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.
An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 23, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.