Good intentions feel benign. Kind, even. You don’t want to step on toes. You don’t want to rock the room. You want people to feel good. But for invisible contributors, good intentions become a quiet cage. They stop you from asking the difficult question. They dilute the message when the moment requires clarity.

They encourage you to over-correct, over-compensate, overthink. In the infinite feed, good intentions are incentivised. You keep things positive. You say the right thing. You stay conflict-free. You become liked. But being liked is not the same as being impactful.In product work, in creative teams, in leadership – good intentions are not enough. What goes unsaid: You avoid giving context, because it might sound too negativeYou let blockers slide, because it might upset someoneYou say yes too soon, then toil in silence to meet itYou do the emotional labour for everyone else.

But rarely for yourself. The outcome? You disappear. Not literally. But from meetings. From recognition. From strategy.

You get thanked for being supportive, helpful, positive. But not for being sharp, clear, disruptive.

You stop being part of the change, and become the cushion under it. CPOs, if your quiet contributors are always yes-people, always smoothing, always taking on the extra workload, do not mistake this for strength. It might be survival. The infinite feed of performance culture, peer kudos, and managerial approval trains people to show their best self at all times. But growth comes in the version that is un-curated. Ask: Where are good intentions muting honest input? Who is always agreeable but rarely challenging the system? What part of our product decisions are based on comfort, not clarity? Good intentions do not move teams forward. Shared reality does. For the invisible contributor, speaking with precision feels risky. But not speaking at all, costs more. The team loses the perspective only you have. The work loses the part that could have added depth.And you remain on the periphery. Helpful. Respected. But never leading. Change needs what good intentions can not supply: discomfort. The kind that comes from speaking up. Not for effect. Not for drama. But for direction. Move from good to true. From helpful to honest. From invisible to essential.