The Quiet Achiever: Tiny habits to have impact at work

by Tim Yeo

Genres: Nonfiction

203 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[Jorge Enrique Alzate · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Raffy Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.