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

Hear now the sharp wisdom of Thomas Sowell, a voice of clarity in a world often lost in endless words. He declared: “People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything. At first, the saying may sound like jest, a witty strike at the tedious gatherings of bureaucrats. But beneath the humor lies a truth both piercing and eternal: true leadership is measured in deeds, not in endless talk; in results, not in rituals; in courage to act, not in comfort to sit.

For a meeting, though useful in its place, is but a council of words. It gathers voices, opinions, and strategies—but it does not move the world forward on its own. The one who delights too much in meetings, who treats talk as triumph, reveals a spirit unfit for command. Such a one may love the sound of debate, the illusion of progress, the comfort of being needed—but when storms rise and decisions must be made swiftly, they are slow, hesitant, and bound by the chains of discussion. True leaders use meetings as a tool, never as a throne.

Consider the example of Winston Churchill, who in the darkest hours of Britain’s struggle against Nazi tyranny did not linger endlessly in committee halls. He called his advisors, yes, but when the counsel was heard, he decided, he acted, and he bore the weight of the outcome upon his shoulders. He did not enjoy meetings for their own sake; he endured them as necessity, but his joy was in decisions that saved his nation. Had he delighted in endless councils instead of bold action, the story of Europe might have been one of despair.

So too in the realm of business, history has witnessed the rise and fall of giants. Many corporations collapsed because their leaders hid behind conferences, reviews, and endless committees, while rivals seized the moment with swift execution. In contrast, innovators like Steve Jobs used meetings not as escapes from responsibility, but as crucibles where vision was hammered into action. He listened, he argued, but when the hour came, he stepped beyond words into creation. That is the spirit of one fit to lead.

The danger of those who “enjoy meetings” lies in their love of comfort. To act is to risk; to decide is to bear blame; to move forward is to tread where the ground is uncertain. But to remain in meetings is to dwell in safety, in the illusion of progress without the price of courage. And thus Sowell warns: do not entrust power to those who mistake conversation for conquest. For such souls will drown the future in talk while opportunities vanish like mist.

The lesson, O listener, is plain: words are useful, but only action builds. Speak when necessary, gather counsel when wise, but never linger in the safety of discussion when duty calls you to act. Leaders must learn to close the door of the meeting room and open the door of the battlefield, the marketplace, the workshop, the realm where reality waits to be shaped. Let your speech be purposeful, but let your deeds roar louder than any council’s words.

Thus, if you would rise as a leader, remember Sowell’s warning. Do not seek comfort in endless gatherings, nor praise in the sound of your own voice. Seek instead the stern joy of responsibility, the fire of decision, the burden of action. Hold meetings as tools, not treasures. Listen, learn, and then step forth into the world beyond talk, where true change is made. For leadership is not in the enjoyment of meetings, but in the courage to move from words into destiny.