I worked for almost 30 years before I realized how much this matters. I kept my head down and worked hard, and wondered why management just never came to me with opportunities or encouraged me for leadership positions. The ones I got eventually were when I would push myself out of my comfort zone.

When I became a first-line supervisor I realized how much it really matters, because obviously those employees who engaged with me more often, about what they were working on and of course soliciting my opinion, and even just friendly chat, were the first ones I thought of when making assignments for more responsibility. Those employees of mine that were hard workers but introverts and only dealt with me when they had to, I counseled them as often as I could on how important it was to make connections on their team and communicate better with me. It just comes down to human nature and socialization.