The Human Catalyst: Driving Microsoft Copilot Success Through New Work Habits
Insights from Microsoft UK’s Simon Lambert and Tatiana Aventi on turning AI hype into daily, high-impact habits.
AI is already reshaping the workday—but the biggest barrier to Copilot success isn’t the technology, it’s the human habits around it. In our recent Ezra Asks webinar with Microsoft leaders Simon Lambert and Tatiana Aventi, we explored the core challenge slowing AI productivity: the persistent gap between knowing about tools like Copilot and actually using them consistently, effectively, and confidently. The solution? Focus on people transformation, not just tech rollout.
1. Cultivate Curiosity: The ‘Learn-It-All’ Mindset Is Your Competitive Edge
Simon Lambert stressed that AI transformation is fundamentally a people transformation—not an IT project. Technology can only move as fast as people can adapt, and leaders must create conditions that make curiosity safe, celebrated, and habitual.
Skilling really is the bridge between execution and ambition.
Simon Lambert
By shifting teams from a “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all” culture, organisations accelerate AI experimentation, skill acquisition, and long-term adoption.
2. Copilot Adoption Best Practices: Making AI Your Daily Copilot
Tatiana Aventi emphasised that Copilot’s deepest value is relieving the workplace overload that drains time and mental energy. To realise this benefit, teams must use it first, not as a last resort.
Simon and Tatiana shared their go-to Copilot prompts:
What am I missing?
Simon’s catch-up prompt for instant clarity
Take these messy notes and structure them into challenges, solutions, and next steps.
Tatiana’s clarity-from-chaos prompt
Safe experimentation inside M365 – an enterprise-grade environment where teams can try, fail, learn, and iterate securely
These small daily habits compound into organisation-wide adoption.
3. The New Leadership Skill: Preparing to Manage the ‘Agent Boss’ Era
Tatiana mapped a clear evolution of AI capability—from Copilot assisting individuals to AI agents running end-to-end processes. Leaders will soon manage both people and AI agents, requiring new competencies in direction-setting, coaching, and oversight.
Simon summarised the shift: leaders must learn to manage “both physical human beings, and also agents.”
4. Scaling AI Adoption: Ezra + Microsoft’s AI Accelerator
The shared hypothesis behind the AI Accelerator program is simple: Coaching is the catalyst that makes AI adoption stick. Coaching gives employees a non-judgmental space to build habits, challenge assumptions, and turn Copilot from a concept into a daily partner.
Pilot program results:
49% of participants reported an increase in work-life balance
37% reported more time for meaningful work
Leaders became more coach-like, naturally amplifying AI adoption within teams
The intervention helped participants move from “I tried AI once” to “this is how I work now.”
Conclusion: AI Transformation Is Human Transformation
To make AI habits stick, leaders must create cultures of psychological safety where experimentation is encouraged. When combined with personalised coaching, tools like Microsoft Copilot become catalysts for better focus, stronger performance, and more meaningful work. The future of AI at work is not just technical—it is deeply human.