Ben MortonLeadership Trainer, Coach and Speaker

Are the Loudest People in the Room Really Getting Ahead?

7 Sept 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:07

In this episode of The Leader's Kitbag, Ben Morton opens by addressing individuals who tend to stay quiet in meetings, describing how they often feel they haven’t contributed enough while louder participants dominate the conversation. Drawing from his coaching and leadership workshops, he notes a common belief that those who speak up frequently are more likely to attract their boss’s attention, secure opportunities, and advance in their careers. Morton challenges this assumption, prompting listeners to consider whether the most vocal people truly get ahead, and invites reflection on the value of internal processing versus external expression in professional settings.

Chapters

Have you ever sat in a meeting thinking you didn't say enough? Perhaps everybody else was talking a lot and seemingly getting a lot of airtime, and you were there sitting much more quietly, thinking, processing what it was that you were hearing. Well, if that's you, then today's episode of The Leader's Kitbag is for you. In my coaching work and leadership workshops, I hear this a lot from people who think and process information internally rather than externally. There's this worry that in meetings, the people who speak up a lot, who say a lot, are the ones who are going to get on, the ones who are going to get the best opportunities, or they're the ones that have their boss's ear, so to speak. But here's a question worth thinking about if this resonates with you. Are they really the ones that are getting on?