Conduct a Listening Tour to Speed On-Boarding and Build Strong Partnerships

As a new executive leader, embarking on a listening tour with your team holds significant importance for several reasons. By proactively engaging in this endeavor, you can foster a positive work environment, build trust, gain valuable insights, and establish strong relationships with your team members. Here are some key reasons why conducting a listening tour is crucial:

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1. Creating a Positive Work Environment: By actively listening to your team members' thoughts, concerns, and ideas, you demonstrate that their voices are valued and that you are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive work environment. This promotes a sense of psychological safety and encourages open communication throughout the organization.

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2. Building Trust and Rapport: Listening attentively to your team members' perspectives and experiences helps build trust and rapport from the outset. It shows that you respect their expertise, opinions, and contributions, establishing a solid foundation for collaboration and effective teamwork.

 

3. Gaining Valuable Insights: Engaging in active listening during a tour allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the organization's dynamics, challenges, and opportunities. You can gather valuable insights about the team's strengths, areas for improvement, and potential obstacles, enabling you to make informed decisions and develop strategic plans that align with the organization's goals.

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4. Identifying Key Priorities: Through listening, you can identify the key priorities and concerns of your team members. This helps you align your leadership approach, allocate resources effectively, and address critical issues that impact the team's performance and success.

 

5. Building Strong Relationships: A listening tour offers an excellent opportunity to establish strong relationships with your team members. By taking the time to understand their individual goals, aspirations, and motivations, you can provide the necessary support and guidance for their professional development, fostering a sense of loyalty and commitment to the organization.

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6. Encouraging Collaboration and Innovation: Actively listening to diverse perspectives fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation. By valuing and incorporating different ideas and viewpoints, you encourage creativity and enable your team members to contribute their unique expertise, ultimately driving organizational success.

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In addition to meeting with your team, you want to meet with all of the stakeholders you will be working with.  Some of these meetings will be simple meet and greets, and all will be important to establish strong partnerships for the future.  As you are in these conversations, explore the following areas: 

Personal questions: 

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Tell me about your career background? 

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Why do you like working here? 

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What do you like doing outside of work? 

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Working partnership: 

How will we work together?  What are the primary ways that our roles interact? 

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What has worked successfully in the past? 

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How can me and/or my team help your team most effectively? 

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Should we have regularly scheduled meetings to touch base?  If so, what would be the most helpful during those meetings? 

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​Company culture: 

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How would you describe the company culture? 

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How do you see the company values displayed? 

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What is the best way to influence leadership? 

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What do you wish someone had told you when you first came to the company?

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After each meeting, write up your observations, send a thank you note with any follow-ups, and set up any follow-up meetings that were discussed. At the end of all the on-boarding calls, summarize your key findings that will help you be an effective leader in your new role

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In summary, conducting a listening tour as a new executive leader is essential for creating a positive work environment, building trust, gaining insights, identifying priorities, establishing relationships, and promoting collaboration and innovation. By prioritizing active listening, you lay the groundwork for a successful leadership journey and set the stage for collective growth and achievement.

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