Group think is quiet. It does not announce itself. It does not scream “this idea is wrong.” It whispers, “everyone else seems fine with this, why push?”

For the expert defender, group think is especially dangerous.You are often the most informed in the room.You know what has worked. You have seen the risks. But when everyone is moving fast, raising a different view feels heavy. You keep it to yourself. You say, “let’s go with it” even when your instinct hesitates. Because the team needs pace. Because the CPO expects alignment. Because slowing things down feels political. Welcome to the speed trap. Where group think thrives on urgency. CPOs, this is how it looks: Every meeting ends with rapid agreement The loudest voice sets the direction, new ideas get a smile, not a challenge. Hard questions never make it into the deck, we mistake momentum for progress. We trade precision for peace. But silence is not support. And fast consensus is often fake clarity. Expert defenders, your value is not just in knowing what is right. It is in speaking what others will not.

Even when it is unpopular. Even when it costs you ease. Because the right answer rarely arrives without conflict.CPOs, ask your team: What are we not saying out loud? Who in this room is holding back? What assumptions are we making without testing?

• Create space for dissonance.

• Reward critique.

• Invite tension.

Slow down enough to hear the friction.

Expert defenders, your silence can shape the culture. If you hold back now, others will copy it later.Group think rarely feels dangerous until you look back and realise what you missed.A better approach. A smarter risk. A stronger outcome. You were right. But you never said it. Let’s stop confusing alignment with agreement. Let’s stop rewarding speed over scrutiny.