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The Quiet Achiever: Tiny habits to have impact at work
Get the promotion. Get your dream job. Get the recognition and appreciation you deserve — without pretending to be an extrovert.
Do you squirm in your seat when asked to introduce yourself? In meetings, do you keep quiet even though you have something to say? Does your boss often tell you to “speak up more,” but you’re not sure how?
If you answered yes, you might be a quiet achiever.
In a working world that favours the extrovert ideal, most role models and advice seem to be some flavour of "be more extroverted".
As a quiet achiever, you can try and fit into this extroverted mould to succeed at work. But the result is often the you're tired, drained; it feels like you are faking it. You think "maybe I'm just not good enough" and wonder how others make it look so easy.
There has to be a better way.
This book offers quiet achievers a different path to success, one where you can remain your true authentic self and still have impact at work (without pretending to be an extrovert).
In this book, you'll discover how
introduce yourself with confidence in meetings, interviews and networkingincrease your visibility and be more seen and heard in your organisationpublic speaking practises to communicate with purpose and clarityhandle difficult conversations and what to do when you receive feedback you don't like speak up in meetings before you are ready and tactics to buy yourself time when put on the spothow to say no (politely) — set boundaries and push back on unreasonable requestsmake small talk without the awkward silences networking online and in real lifeworking better together with extroverts and ambivertsWhether you are a senior leader or someone starting out; within the pages of this book, you'll find practical techniques you can implement the very next day.
Just because we are quiet does not mean we have nothing to say. Life is too short to be living someone else's version of success. Stop pretending. Start practicing. Your journey to making a big impact at work while staying true to yourself starts here.
Do you squirm in your seat when asked to introduce yourself? In meetings, do you keep quiet even though you have something to say? Does your boss often tell you to “speak up more,” but you’re not sure how?
If you answered yes, you might be a quiet achiever.
In a working world that favours the extrovert ideal, most role models and advice seem to be some flavour of "be more extroverted".
As a quiet achiever, you can try and fit into this extroverted mould to succeed at work. But the result is often the you're tired, drained; it feels like you are faking it. You think "maybe I'm just not good enough" and wonder how others make it look so easy.
There has to be a better way.
This book offers quiet achievers a different path to success, one where you can remain your true authentic self and still have impact at work (without pretending to be an extrovert).
In this book, you'll discover how
introduce yourself with confidence in meetings, interviews and networkingincrease your visibility and be more seen and heard in your organisationpublic speaking practises to communicate with purpose and clarityhandle difficult conversations and what to do when you receive feedback you don't like speak up in meetings before you are ready and tactics to buy yourself time when put on the spothow to say no (politely) — set boundaries and push back on unreasonable requestsmake small talk without the awkward silences networking online and in real lifeworking better together with extroverts and ambivertsWhether you are a senior leader or someone starting out; within the pages of this book, you'll find practical techniques you can implement the very next day.
Just because we are quiet does not mean we have nothing to say. Life is too short to be living someone else's version of success. Stop pretending. Start practicing. Your journey to making a big impact at work while staying true to yourself starts here.
- GenresNonfiction
203 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 12, 2025
I have mixed feelings about this one. I agree entirely with the author’s main message—that introversion isn’t something to fix or overcome. I love that he’s built a successful career as an introvert in software development. However, since most of his examples come from that one field, the book started to feel a bit narrow to me. I found myself wishing for stories from other industries or walks of life.
Some of the advice also didn’t land quite right. For example, Yeo suggests using prefacing phrases before speaking up in meetings such as, “I don’t know if I fully believe this, but what I have in mind is…” I get the intent as a way to ease into sharing an idea, but to me, that kind of phrasing can unintentionally undermine your credibility. If you do it too often, people might not take your words seriously. I’d rather speak clearly, learn from how it lands, and adjust next time. Even better, pose your idea as a question: “What would it look like if we tried this…?”
Another moment that stood out: "The saying 'feedback is a gift' is bullshit.” I understand that feedback can be flawed or ill-intentioned, and that how we respond is our choice. Still, feedback is a gift because it provides information that often reveals more about the giver than the receiver.
And about those “tiny habits”? They didn’t feel tiny at all. Recording explainer videos, preparing three versions of a talk, or planning tough executive conversations. Tiny habits?! These are big moves that take time, planning, and courage.
Still, there are some valuable takeaways. One thing I liked was deferring when put on the spot. Saying, “I’d like to reflect and get back to you,” can actually project confidence when used sparingly and intentionally.
Overall, the book is well-intentioned but misses the mark for me. It doesn’t show how introverts can recognize their existing strengths as a true competitive advantage. Instead, it feels like another guide to adapting to an extroverted world using standard business strategies, when what many of us want is a reminder that our quiet strengths already belong there.
Some of the advice also didn’t land quite right. For example, Yeo suggests using prefacing phrases before speaking up in meetings such as, “I don’t know if I fully believe this, but what I have in mind is…” I get the intent as a way to ease into sharing an idea, but to me, that kind of phrasing can unintentionally undermine your credibility. If you do it too often, people might not take your words seriously. I’d rather speak clearly, learn from how it lands, and adjust next time. Even better, pose your idea as a question: “What would it look like if we tried this…?”
Another moment that stood out: "The saying 'feedback is a gift' is bullshit.” I understand that feedback can be flawed or ill-intentioned, and that how we respond is our choice. Still, feedback is a gift because it provides information that often reveals more about the giver than the receiver.
And about those “tiny habits”? They didn’t feel tiny at all. Recording explainer videos, preparing three versions of a talk, or planning tough executive conversations. Tiny habits?! These are big moves that take time, planning, and courage.
Still, there are some valuable takeaways. One thing I liked was deferring when put on the spot. Saying, “I’d like to reflect and get back to you,” can actually project confidence when used sparingly and intentionally.
Overall, the book is well-intentioned but misses the mark for me. It doesn’t show how introverts can recognize their existing strengths as a true competitive advantage. Instead, it feels like another guide to adapting to an extroverted world using standard business strategies, when what many of us want is a reminder that our quiet strengths already belong there.
December 19, 2024
I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I am an introvert and I related so much to this book. I found the tips in it super useful and straightforward. Even if you're extroverted, there's a lot of great tips that will help you improve your networking, leadership skills, conflict management, and public speaking skills. You'll gain a better understanding of introverted people and how they think and approach different situations. The tips presented are practical and they are laid out in a very organized way. I loved the real-life examples that made the tips come to life. It made me think back to previous situations I've had at work and how I could've handled things differently. Overall I'm so glad I read this book. I gained so many valuable tips that will make me more confident in areas at work that I avoided before.
March 22, 2026
The book is aimed at introverts and team managers who want to get the best out of people. The chapters look at introducing oneself at work, participating in small talk, speaking in meetings, preparing for public speaking, handling difficult conversations, saying no, and networking. The structure is easy to follow as it’s predominantly bullet points and self-reflection questions. The guide is also structured so readers needn’t read the entire book if they only want to focus on one aspect, such as preparing for public speaking.
The main takeaway is to have example statements ready for different scenarios. This helps to be mentally prepared for predictable scenarios (such as introductory statements and small talk).
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books and author.
The main takeaway is to have example statements ready for different scenarios. This helps to be mentally prepared for predictable scenarios (such as introductory statements and small talk).
I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books and author.
January 11, 2025
Such a helpful book for introverts, extroverts from an independent contractor level to a manager level. I loved that it was an easy read with actionable steps. It really offered insights and great observations on how different cultures really do handle speaking up and participation. I just thought the example dialogue could be a bit better (knowing what to say is what I personally struggle with), but nevertheless, the tips and tiny habits were extremely helpful and he’s right, he’s really good at simplifying seemingly complex things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews