People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything. — Thomas Sowell

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Author: Thomas Sowell

Insight: There's something quietly true about this observation that cuts across every workplace and organization. Most of us know someone who seems genuinely energized by sitting around a table hashing things out for hours—someone for whom the meeting itself feels like the work, rather than a distraction from it. And Sowell's point isn't really about social butterflies; it's about judgment and priorities. If you actually love meetings, you've probably lost sight of what meetings are supposedly for: deciding things and moving forward. Real leadership requires making hard calls when people disagree, cutting projects that aren't working, and saying no to good ideas because resources are limited. Those decisions happen despite meetings, not because of them. Someone who genuinely enjoys the process of endless discussion and consensus-building will naturally delay difficult choices, expand conversations beyond usefulness, and mistake talking about problems for solving them. The deeper insight is about self-awareness. We're all capable of drifting into preferring the comfortable (discussing) over the necessary (deciding). Sowell's quip is really a warning to check yourself: If you're looking forward to tomorrow's calendar, ask why. Are you avoiding something harder?

/Quotes

When talking replaces deciding

People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.

Thomas Sowell

There's something quietly true about this observation that cuts across every workplace and organization. Most of us know someone who seems genuinely energized by sitting around a table hashing things out for hours—someone for whom the meeting itself feels like the work, rather than a distraction from it. And Sowell's point isn't really about social butterflies; it's about judgment and priorities.

If you actually love meetings, you've probably lost sight of what meetings are supposedly for: deciding things and moving forward. Real leadership requires making hard calls when people disagree, cutting projects that aren't working, and saying no to good ideas because resources are limited. Those decisions happen despite meetings, not because of them. Someone who genuinely enjoys the process of endless discussion and consensus-building will naturally delay difficult choices, expand conversations beyond usefulness, and mistake talking about problems for solving them.

The deeper insight is about self-awareness. We're all capable of drifting into preferring the comfortable (discussing) over the necessary (deciding). Sowell's quip is really a warning to check yourself: If you're looking forward to tomorrow's calendar, ask why. Are you avoiding something harder?

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Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell was an American economist, social theorist, and author known for his work in the fields of economics, social policy, and race relations. He was a prolific writer, with numerous books and articles that provided insights into issues such as affirmative action, education, and the role of government in society.

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