Maya Gharzouzi
Expert Agile advisor - Agile Centre of Excellence
Montréal-Ouest, Canada
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With over 20 years of experience—including 11 in Agile environments—Maya has honed her expertise in applying and adapting frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and Lean across sectors such as pharma, education, insurance, and eCommerce. Recognized with multiple awards for her excellence in change management, leadership, and training, she has made a lasting impact as a Lean-Agile Coach and SAFe Practice Consultant. She has supported teams, programs, and leaders, including over six years spent in a Fortune 4 company, helping foster collaboration, addressing impediments, and supporting the adoption of Agile practices. Through her unique blend of neurodivergent thinking, recognized proficiency in Psychology, fascinating military experience, and extensive Agile knowledge, Maya brings a singular approach to coaching that harnesses the power of diverse thinking and creativity to unlock innovative solutions and mobilize people through continuous learning and adaptation.
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The Chaos Advantage: Why the Best Teams Fight, Experts Fail, and Direction is Overrated
We’ve been sold a lie: that the best teams run smoothly, that experts know best, and that having a clear direction is a prerequisite for success. In reality, the most innovative teams embrace conflict, expertise can be a trap, and uncertainty is often the best place to start. This talk dismantles conventional wisdom about teamwork, leadership, and change—revealing why friction, uncertainty, and disruption are the real forces behind meaningful progress.
Key Topics:
Why the Best Teams Fight (and Yours Should Too)
How to Handle Lack of Direction When It’s All You’ve Known
The 10th Man Rule: The Power of Questioning Everything
The Illusion of Expertise: When Knowing Too Much Becomes a Liability
The Rigidity Paradox: Why Those Who Preach Change Are the Least Likely to Adapt
To Go or Not to Go SAFe: An Unflinching Look at the Benefits & Drawbacks
Thinking of scaling with SAFe? Before you dive headfirst into the framework buffet, let’s talk about what’s really on the menu.
In this honest (and slightly provocative) session, I’ll share real-world lessons, war stories, and some deep reflections from the field—what works, what wobbles, and what quietly implodes when SAFe meets reality. We’ll poke at the shiny benefits (training! certifications! structure!) and lift the hood on the less glamorous bits (key topics):
-What happens to middle management when power and knowledge start to shift?
-Are we layering agile roles on top of hierarchy—or truly transforming?
-Can your teams pivot, or are they stuck in a PI planning loop?
-Is your “agility” just fancy vocabulary hiding waterfall habits?
We’ll also explore the psychological and strategic costs: sunk-cost traps, double-role burnout, and the illusion of “shippability.”
Who it’s for: Executives, transformation leaders, and agile coaches who are SAFe-curious, SAFe-skeptical, or knee-deep in it and wondering, “Is it supposed to feel like this?” You’ll find yourself nodding along or even laughing nervously as I take you through the real-life drama of scaling agile.
Why I’m sharing this: Because I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of SAFe, and because I believe SAFe can be helpful—but only if we go in with eyes wide open. Let’s talk about what no certification course will tell you.
Maya Gharzouzi
Expert Agile advisor - Agile Centre of Excellence
Montréal-Ouest, Canada
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