Dealing with people at work can be challenging, especially with the unsung hero type.

You can probably all recognise this employee type: plenty of ability but unwillingness to speak up, shy and retiring, absolutely brilliant employee who lets others talk and says nothing even when they have great suggestions. If they’d just open up and say something…

This is where organisations waste talent and all the effort they put into development: it is important to address this problem because of the opportunity costs.

These employees need to be moved one step at a time; they aren’t always resilient, so it is important to show you are interested in them so they have a good experience of sharing their ideas.

“Nudge” them, instead of asking for direct input in front of others, set a challenge to present their ideas in other formats. This takes compassion and thoughtfulness, which often is scarce in most businesses.

Thye need someone to believe in them before they actually do, and show them.