For a newly appointed General Counsel (or any legal leader stepping into a new organization), the pressure to make an immediate impact is high. Yet, one of the most effective ways to establish credibility and influence is to be patient and take some time to settle in before forming opinions or making sweeping changes—and by listening. A well-executed listening tour is a strategic investment that allows you to understand the business, build relationships, uncover both opportunities and challenges that might otherwise go unnoticed, and partner with your CEO to ensure you are focusing on his or her strategic priorities.
In this post, we will break down the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of a listening tour, along with best practices to maximize its impact.
Who Should Be Involved?
A listening tour should extend beyond the executive team. While it is critical to engage with the CEO, CFO, and other C-suite leaders, some of the most valuable insights come from mid-level managers and frontline employees—the people who experience operational challenges daily and are really the heart of the organization. Consider speaking with:
Senior leadership: Understand high-level strategy, key risks, and expectations for legal.
Business unit leaders: Identify pain points and opportunities for legal to provide proactive support.
Legal Team: Understand how your team delivers legal services, the challenges they may face, recent accomplishments, and areas for improvement.
Operations teams: Learn where inefficiencies and roadblocks occur in day-to-day processes.
HR, Compliance, and Risk teams: Gain insight into company culture, regulatory challenges, and internal controls.
Frontline employees: Uncover real-world business challenges that leadership may not see firsthand.
The broader your reach, the more complete your understanding of the organization.
What Is a Listening Tour?
A listening tour is a structured series of conversations designed to gather insights about the business, its culture, and its challenges. It is not about presenting legal strategies or offering immediate solutions. Instead, it is an opportunity to:
Build relationships and establish trust.
Understand how legal is perceived within the organization.
Identify key risks, roadblocks, and areas where legal can add value.
Uncover challenges that may fall outside of legal but require broader organizational attention.
Understand how you and your team can support the organization’s initiatives and function as business enablers.
At its core, a listening tour positions legal as a business partner, not just a problem solver.
Where Should the Conversations Happen?
The format of a listening tour will depend on the organization’s culture and structure. Consider:
In-person meetings (ideal for building rapport, especially with key stakeholders).
Virtual conversations (useful for remote teams and global organizations).
Site visits (especially valuable in industries like manufacturing, healthcare, or retail where legal issues intersect with on-the-ground operations).
Whether formal or informal, the key is to create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing honest insights.
When Should You Conduct a Listening Tour?
The best time for a listening tour is as early as possible in your tenure as GC—ideally within the first 90 to 180 days. This window is critical for establishing credibility and aligning with the organization’s priorities.
But what if you did not do it right away? It is never too late to start. If you’re still in the “learning” phase (which, let’s be honest, can last well beyond the first year), you can always launch a listening tour—just tailor your approach. Instead of broad introductory questions, build on what you already know and focus on:
A general review of the organization over the last 12 months, identifying areas of success and areas for improvement
Areas where you still have gaps in understanding
Emerging challenges or changes in the business
Deeper dives into topics you’ve identified as high-impact
A listening tour is not a one-time event—it should be an ongoing process of engagement. Even if you’ve been in the role for a while, there is always more to learn.
Why Is a Listening Tour Essential?
A listening tour is not just about gathering information—it’s about setting the foundation for long-term success. Here’s why it matters:
Builds credibility and trust: Legal is often perceived as a risk mitigator rather than a business enabler. A listening tour helps shift that perception.
Uncovers hidden risks and challenges: Legal teams can provide the most value when they understand not just the legal landscape but the broader business context.
Enhances cross-functional collaboration: By engaging with teams across the organization, you create allies who will see legal as a partner rather than a barrier.
Informs your strategic priorities: Instead of making assumptions, you can tailor your legal strategy to the company’s actual needs.
Added benefit, helps you identify easy wins to knock out in your first 90-180 days to demonstrate and further all of the above.
Best Practices for a Successful Listening Tour
A listening tour is only as valuable as the approach you take. Here are key best practices to ensure your conversations lead to meaningful insights and impact:
Know Your Audience & Tailor the Conversation: Adapt your approach based on the role and personality of the person you are speaking with. Some may prefer high-level discussions, while others will share operational details.
Bedside Manner Matters: Legal is not always a welcome guest. Start with an icebreaker and share a little about yourself to create a comfortable atmosphere.
Get Political Advice & Find an Ally: Identify trusted advisors who can provide insight into the company’s internal dynamics and key relationships.
Frame Your Mission & Purpose Clearly: Set expectations: this is a listening exercise, not an immediate problem-solving session.
Don’t Stay in Your Lane: Be open to insights beyond legal issues like communication gaps, HR concerns, or operational inefficiencies may surface, and your role as GC can help flag and escalate these appropriately.
Take Notes, But Don’t Rush to Conclusions: Patterns will emerge over time—resist the urge to offer quick fixes before seeing the full picture.
Pick Your Battles Wisely: Not every issue requires immediate action. Prioritize challenges based on risk, business impact, and leadership expectations.
Understand Your CEO’s Expectations: Align your listening tour with what your CEO hopes to achieve—quick insights, a risk assessment, or a deeper understanding of business challenges.
Follow Up & Demonstrate Impact: Show that you’ve listened by sharing key takeaways and acting on insights where appropriate.
Take Your Time & Go Deep: Be open to scheduling additional meetings to explore emerging themes and deepen your understanding.
Consider the Breadth & Depth of Your Interview Pool: Some of the best insights come from employees closest to the day-to-day business—don’t limit conversations to senior leadership.
There Are No Dumb Questions: If you’re new to the industry, this is your chance to learn. Ask questions—even the most basic ones—to build a strong foundation.
Three Sample Questions to Get You Started
An effective listening tour is a little bit like deposing a witness during litigation (only much friendlier!). The objective is to start with broad open-ended questions to encourage the interviewee to share as much information as possible, and to narrow your questions from there as needed to dive deeper on various topics. Here are 3 sample questions to get you started:
“I’d love to hear how you would describe the mission of the organization, and the goals and objectives of your department/team.”
“From your perspective, what is “working” and what isn’t, both within your immediate role/department, and across the broader organization.” (For more senior executives, the question might be framed as “What are your top priorities and what keeps you up at night?”)
“What has been your experience with legal prior to this meeting, where is legal helping and where does legal seem to be an obstacle, and where could you use more legal support?”
Conclusion
A listening tour is one of the most powerful tools a General Counsel can use to integrate into a new organization, build credibility, and shape the legal function’s role as a strategic partner. By taking the time to understand the business, its people, and its challenges, you position yourself—and legal—as a valued, proactive force within the company.
The key takeaway? Listening is not just about hearing—it’s about learning, building trust, and turning insights into action.
General Counsel, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
Founder, Ready Set GC
Chief Legal, Compliance and Administrative Officer, Closed Loop Partners
Advisory Board Member, Ready Set GC
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