Copilot, Culture & the Cloud: 2025 at Synozur
- Chris McNulty
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
The Year AI Grew Up: Reflections from Synozur's Leadership Team
As 2025 draws to a close, we gathered four leaders from across Synozur to reflect on a year that fundamentally changed how organizations think about artificial intelligence. What emerged from the conversation wasn't just a recap of features and announcements—it was a story about maturity, both technological and human.
Remember when Copilot was just a clever assistant? That feels like ancient history now. Michelle Boyd, Synozur's Head of Delivery Excellence, pointed out what many of us experienced firsthand: "We've seen agentic AI really embraced and coming forward full force. Copilot embedded as an agent in each application in M365 has been a game changer for us and our customers."
This wasn't just an incremental update. We watched AI evolve from a single point of interaction into a constellation of specialized agents, each embedded where you actually work. The shift happened fast—so fast that looking back at January feels like peering into a different era.
The Gap That Matters Most
Here's what kept coming up in our year-end conversation: technology is moving faster than organizations can adapt. Michelle Caldwell, Synozur's CEO, captured this tension perfectly: "Technology maturity is outpacing organizational maturity. We're not looking at a technology problem anymore—we're looking at an organizational and leadership maturity challenge."
That gap showed up everywhere this year. At the European SharePoint Conference in December, executive leaders weren't asking "what can AI do?"—they were asking "how do we govern this responsibly?" and "how do we move fast without breaking our culture?" Those are fundamentally different questions, and they signal an important shift: AI has moved from the IT department to the leadership table.
Training Isn't Optional Anymore
If there was one theme that unified our conversation, it was this: people need help. Shari Oswald, Synozur's Learning Experience Officer and Microsoft MVP, shared a telling story from Microsoft Ignite. Her session on basic AI prompting drew 310 attendees—while sessions before and after had maybe 30 or 40 people each.
"People are not comfortable," Shari explained. "They don't know where to start. You can't just expect them to pick it up and learn. It's intimidating."
The challenge isn't just learning new tools—it's unlearning old patterns. We've been trained by Google to search with keywords: "2024 budget Bob Smith." But AI doesn't work that way. As Joshua Christensen, our Head of Future of Work and Experience, noted: "It's conversational. You're providing context upfront to figure out what you're really trying to get to. It's not a search result."
Shari put it even more vividly: "It's like coaching a teenage child to do chores. You can't just say 'take out the trash.' You've got to give them all the parameters—how many trash cans, what day it goes to the curb—or they'll take two bags this week and forget the recycling."
What We're Proud Of
Looking inward, 2025 was a year where Synozur showed up in new ways. We expanded our presence at global conferences including M365, TechCon, and ESPC. We launched platforms like Orion (our AI maturity model), Vega (our strategic planning tool), and Constellation (our project management system). We built agents representing everything from IT help desks to board of directors.
But what mattered most wasn't the technology—it was the relationships. "We created really deep relationships with our customers," Michelle Boyd reflected. "We've become that trusted partner they come to repeatedly for insights and next steps."
That trust came from slowing down when everyone else was speeding up. "My highlight this year was watching our team help leaders slow down just enough to make better decisions," Michelle Caldwell shared, "especially in moments where there was a lot of noise and pressure."
Looking Ahead to 2026
When we turned our attention to the coming year, a few predictions surfaced repeatedly.
First, the divide will grow. Organizations that merely adopted AI tools will find themselves struggling, while those that fundamentally redesigned their work processes will pull ahead. "Strategy without execution discipline won't cut it," Michelle Caldwell warned. "AI fluency becomes table stakes for leadership."
Second, expect a reckoning for organizations that invested in AI without seeing results. "You can't just cast a wide net and pray something good comes out," Joshua observed. "You've got to narrow your focus and dive deep. This isn't a button you turn on—it takes thought, planning, and some hard truths about your organization."
Third, training and governance will finally get the attention they deserve. After watching Teams get "lobbed over the fence" in 2020 without proper support, Shari sees a different approach emerging: "In 2026, there's going to be a lot more thought into what technologies are deployed and how. Give people the tools and the guidance they need to use them well."
The Decision Support Frontier
Perhaps the most intriguing prediction came from Michelle Boyd, who sees AI evolving into an operational backbone for decision-making. "Organizations are going to use AI more in decision-making possibilities," she explained. "We've built agents that help us test scenarios—do we do this business thing first or that one? AI gives us recommendations based on everything we've taught it. Sometimes it surfaces insights I wouldn't have connected on my own."
That's the promise of 2026: AI that doesn't just answer questions but helps you ask better ones. AI that doesn't replace judgment but sharpens it.
Authenticity Over Perfection
In a year dominated by AI discussions, one cultural trend stood out: authenticity won. From the Sphere in Las Vegas creating immersive shared experiences with The Wizard of Oz to the resurgence of long-form conversations outperforming polished soundbites, Michelle Caldwell observed that "audiences are rewarding authenticity—things that reinforce human connection and trust over perfection."
That insight applies to technology adoption too. The organizations thriving with AI aren't the ones with perfect implementations—they're the ones honestly wrestling with hard questions, transparently learning alongside their teams, and building trust through genuine partnership.
Polaris in 2025
From our first three episodes in 2024, we’ve done more than 30 this year, with thousands and thousands of listeners. All I can say is “thank you”. We’ve had guests from Bothell to Belize, from Melbourne to Malta, from Las Vegas to London.
Our most listened-to episode? 2025 Predictions for AI
Rounding out the top five:
· Transform the Future at The M365 Community Conference - Jeff Teper & Karuana Gatimu
· Bots to Books to Bucks – The AI Revenue Flywheel - Zack Zeller
· Fractional CxOs Get Our Undivided Attention - Michelle Caldwell
· Tied: The Wonderful World of Mark Kashman / Holiday Reflections from Synozur 2024
Polaris in Pop Culture
I always ask guests about their favorite moments in pop culture. Here’s their list they came up with is vast:
🎬 Movies & Film
Interstellar and Inception – Christopher Nolan classics
Happy Gilmore 2 – Sequel buzz
Zero Day – Netflix thriller
The Pitt & Hacks – HBO Max
Primal – Adult Swim animated series
📺 TV Shows & Streaming
Only Murders in the Building – Season 4
Slow Horses
Game of Thrones (legacy mentions)
The Godfather (classic reference)
Supernatural
Chef’s Table
Stranger Things
Fallout
South Park
Wizard of Oz at The Sphere (Las Vegas) – immersive experience
🎵 Music & Live Performance
Leon Bridges – New album
Avett Brothers – Musical performance
📚 Books & Literature
A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking
Personality Isn’t Permanent – Benjamin Hardy
The AI Dilemma – Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin
Dungeon Crawler Carl – LitRPG series by Matt Dinniman
Shoe Dog – Nike memoir
Fredrik Backman – Swedish author
Offscript: Recipes for Success - Larry Namer
The Strategy Dialogues - John Hillen
🎙️ Podcasts & Thought Leadership
Simon Sinek Podcast
Sam Harris Podcast
Mel Robbins – The Let Them Theory
💡 Ideas & Frameworks
5AM Management
Skyhope.org – Rescue flights
🧘 Philosophy & Spirituality
Tibetan Buddhist Lecture
Since I don’t interview myself (fortunately) I’ll just add two that I shared privately with the team this week:
Severance (Apple TV)
And toward the end of the year, The Paper on NBC Peacock - it’s a mock documentary from the team that created the Office about a small city newspaper in Toledo Ohio that's rediscovering the importance of local journalism with all of the usual “The Office” quirks and direct camera interviews. It's really charming and heartwarming.
Join the Conversation
We're continuing this discussion at several upcoming events. Join us for Strategy Now with AI on January 6, where we'll share how AI transforms our Company OS framework and preview our Vega platform. Connect with Shari at M365 Community Days DC (January 29-30) or catch up with our team at conferences throughout 2026.
Most importantly, if you're navigating these challenges in your own organization, reach out. As our year-end conversation reinforced, transformation isn't something you do alone—it's something you do together, with partners who've been there and are committed to helping you find your way.
Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks.
Show Notes
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Agentic AI arrived in force in 2025 – Microsoft Copilot evolved from a helpful assistant into an embedded constellation of specialized agents across M365 applications, fundamentally changing how teams operate daily.
The maturity gap is widening – Technology advancement is dramatically outpacing organizational readiness, with leadership capability now becoming the real constraint rather than the technology itself.
End-user training is no longer optional – Organizations are finally realizing that responsible AI adoption requires structured learning programs, not just tool deployment—people need guidance on how to have conversations with AI, not just search for keywords.
AI shifted from tech talk to leadership discussion – The conversation evolved from "what can AI do?" to "how do we govern it responsibly?" with leaders focused on accountability, trust, and cultural impact rather than just features.
Authenticity beats perfection – From pop culture to business strategy, 2025 rewarded genuine human connection, long-form conversation, and immersive shared experiences over polished soundbites and surface-level engagement.
Strategy without execution discipline won't cut it in 2026 – Organizations that invest in people, governance, and AI fluency alongside their technology will significantly outperform competitors who only focus on tools.
Decision support is the new frontier – The most sophisticated organizations are operationalizing AI as a decision-making backbone, using it to surface insights, test scenarios, and challenge assumptions in ways that augment human judgment.
Sound Bites
Michelle Boyd (Head of Delivery Excellence, Synozur)
"We're not just talking about AI anymore—we're living it. We leverage that agentic embedded experience across the M365 environment every single day, and it's become a game changer for how we operate and how we help our customers."
"AI can surface insights I probably wouldn't have connected on my own. There's the gut check—sometimes we see results and think 'that's not exactly right for me'—but other times AI connects dots I would have missed."
"Organizations on the tip of the spear in AI adoption are going to start using it as an operational backbone—leveraging it for decision-making possibilities, setting up scenarios, and getting recommendations that inform strategy."
Michelle Caldwell (CEO, Synozur)
"AI stopped being just a technology conversation and became a leadership discussion. The real questions shifted to accountability, trust, and how leaders make decisions in an AI-augmented world."
"Technology maturity is outpacing organizational maturity. We're not looking at a technology problem—we're looking at an organizational and leadership maturity challenge."
"In 2026, we'll see two types of organizations: those that adopted AI tools and those that fundamentally redesigned how work gets done. The gap between them will be significant. AI fluency becomes table stakes for leadership."
Joshua Christensen (Head of Future of Work and Product Strategy, Synozur)
"We're going to find more clients who invested in AI over the last year but haven't seen returns. You can't just cast a wide net and pray something good comes out. You've got to narrow your focus and dive deep."
"This is not a button you just turn on and everything's automatically great. It takes thought, initiative, planning, and some hard truths about your organization—not just how it's run, but how your technology stacks were built."
"People that aren't in technology are finally clinging to what generative AI actually is—understanding it's a completely different breed from what they thought AI was, and realizing the true implications."
Shari Oswald (Learning Experience Officer, Microsoft MVP, Synozur)
"I'm so happy to see a refocus back on the end users this year. With the rise of AI, people are realizing their teams need to be trained. Companies are refocusing on learning, and this is probably one of my best years ever."
"When you search, you get content. When you use AI, you get context—but you also have to provide context. It's like coaching a teenage child to do chores. You can't just say 'take out the trash'—you need to give them all the parameters."
"I had 310 people in my Ignite session on prompting 101. People are not comfortable. They don't know where to start. You can't just expect them to pick it up—it's intimidating."
References
Center for Humane Technology - "The AI Dilemma" Presentation by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discussing ethical and societal impacts of AI https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/the-ai-dilemma
Netflix Acquires Warner Bros. Discovery Major entertainment industry consolidation announced December 2025 https://about.netflix.com
Figma Slides Professional presentation design tool launched in 2024/2025
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere Las Vegas Immersive AI-enhanced theatrical experience opened August 2025
Vibe Coding Tools Referenced: Replit: Claude (Anthropic): Lovable:
TV Shows Mentioned: Severance (Apple TV+) The Paper (NBC Peacock) Fallout (Amazon Prime Video) Stranger Things (Netflix) South Park (Comedy Central)
Synozur Platforms Mentioned: Orion - AI maturity model platform Vega - OKR and strategic planning platform for the Company Operating System™Constellation/SCDP - Time tracking and project management Nebula - Digital envisioning platform
GUEST INFORMATION & PROFILES
Michelle Caldwell CEO, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Michelle Caldwell | LinkedIn
Michelle Boyd Head of Delivery Excellence, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Michelle Boyd, MBA PMP SIDL | LinkedIn
Joshua Christensen Future of Work and Product Strategy Leader, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Joshua Christensen | LinkedIn
Shari L. Oswald Chief Learning Officer, Synozur Alliance | Microsoft MVP & Certified Trainer LinkedIn: Shari L. Oswald, MVP, MCT, MSOM | LinkedIn
Events
Strategy - Now With AI | January 6, 2026 (Online)
M365 Community Days DC 2026 January 29-30 at Microsoft Innovation Hub in Arlington VA
Partner Vibe | January 28-30 at the Marriot Courtyard in South Padre Island Texas
M365 Community Conference | April 21-23 at the Loews Saphire Falls in Orlando Florida
AI+IM Summit | April 28-30 Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
Production
Polaris is produced with help from Riverside.fm. Our holiday theme song, “A Snowflake’s Tale” is provided courtesy of Epidemic Sound. Additional music and sound provided by IndieGuy Records. Graphic design by Josh Brantley.
Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Reflections on 2025
02:50 AI and Technology Trends in 2025
08:35 Achievements and Highlights at Synozur
13:01 Pop Culture in 2025
19:47 Looking Ahead to 2026
30:50 Looking Ahead: Events and AI Strategy
31:59 Reflecting on 2025: Highlights and Milestones
33:40 The Rise of AI: Transformations and Innovations
35:52 Thanks and Happy New Year
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