How do you deal with a nervy/shy dog that won't let you put it on a lead?

They've this nervy dog at the shelter where i work, he's never been socialised and just been seperated from his mother a couple of weeks ago at 8 months. I needed to take him out of his kennel for it to be cleaned, but he just skits away when you approach him. I'm not a dominant in your face personality, and I approach slowly but it still doesn't work. One of the other workers, was sharp with me saying 'don't do that, you'll scare him', and just let him run up the kennel corridor, luckily this was okay cos the other dogs were in the runs at the time. But, I didn't think this was a good idea because if the other dogs were in the kennels, they get quite hyped up when a dog passes their kennel, and a couple of dogs have been bitten when this worker has let them swing across before.