There's a lot of talent out there.

There's even more in your team.

Most teams are like an iceberg.

The confident, the articulate, the loud are visible above the waterline.

But that's only one-tenth of the mass.

The critical mass is below the waterline.

The knowledge workers in your workplace are backroom people.

They prefer not to be up front, or even visible. That's why they take a backroom role.

They're the chefs, not the maitre de's.

But being not visible doesn't mean they're not to be listened to.

Being not loud doesn't mean they have little to offer.

Not just hard work, but ideas, suggestions, improvements.

They need to be sought out and given the space to make a contribution.

And their contributions need to be given weight.

The best leaders I've had were the ones who sought and tabled my contributions. They gave me a seat at the table.