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Frederick Anaafi shares his journey from Excel trainer to Microsoft MVP, highlighting how AI - especially Microsoft Copilot - is transforming productivity and career paths in Africa and beyond. He offers practical insights on building AI fluency, driving community-led tech adoption, and staying competitive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

👉 ️ FULL SHOW NOTES
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/762

🎙️ What you’ll learn

• How to build a tech career starting with Excel and Power BI
• Why AI fluency is essential for modern professionals
• Practical ways to adopt Microsoft Copilot without a subscription
• How to lead community-driven tech initiatives
• What it takes to become a Microsoft MVP in emerging markets

✅ Highlights

• “AI is the electricity of our era.”
• “If you don’t learn AI, then yes, you will be left out.”
• “Copilot helps you get results faster and be more efficient.”
• “Before entering the corporate world, you need to know Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.”
• “I failed the Excel Expert exam the first time, but I didn’t give up.”
• “We had close to 200 people attend the first DynamicsCon West Africa.”
• “AI engineering will be the ish—what people should really go into.”
• “Trust in Copilot comes from knowing it’s secure and responsible.”
• “We’re driving Copilot adoption through free virtual training.”
• “In Ghana, we have fewer than 15 MVPs, but we’re growing.”
• “The usefulness of Copilot is there—now we need to build trust.”
• “I see AI transforming every industry we work in.”

🧰 Mentioned

• Microsoft Excel Expert Certification: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/exams/mo-211
• Tableau: tableau.com
• Power BI: microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-bi
• Microsoft Copilot: copilot.microsoft.com
• DynamicsCon West Africa: eventbrite.com/e/dynamicscon-regional-west-africa-tickets-1249579418679
• MCT West Africa Summit: mctwestafrica.com
• Microsoft MVP YouTube Series: How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7

✅Keywords
ai fluency, microsoft copilot, power bi, excel expert, tableau, data analysis, mvp programme, tech community, ai adoption, microsoft 365, dynamics 365, west africa tech

Support the show

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

🔴 For full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/761

Personal leadership with AI means using it as a tailored amplifier, not an overlord. Meg and Mark unpack generational strengths in AI use, from structured Gen X prompts to Gen Z experimentation. They show how to turn books into personalised action plans with AI, build health and financial literacy, and create safe spaces for younger people to sharpen critical thinking. Listeners leave with ways to pair their strengths with AI, design better prompts, and lead on their own terms.

👉Join the private WhatsApp group for Q&A and community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/E0iyXcUVhpl9um7DuKLYEz

🎙️What you’ll learn

• How to use AI with leadership and habits books to create personalised questions, habits, and behaviour changes that fit your life.
• How to combine Kindle and Audible to read faster while staying focused on complex ideas.
• How Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z professionals tend to approach AI differently, and how to borrow strengths from each style.
• How to design prompt pipelines that move from exploration to refinement to final outputs you can put to work.

✅Highlights

• "The world is ending, AI is bad, the planet's burning, like up here and into the like, okay, actually, so what"
• "artificial intelligence will be just another helpful feature on the tech infrastructure that... serve our daily lives"
• "If we're not personally leading in our own lives with artificial intelligence, we are just going to be buffeted and swayed by other people's ideas."

🧰Mentioned

• Neil deGrasse Tyson https://amzn.to/485h2ot
• Seven habits of highly effective people https://amzn.to/49SK2lN
• The four hour work week https://amzn.to/49nMzEp
• Nix https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7z5lDsS6UP/?igsh=MXBzMXk4MDhlYjN6bQ%3D%3D AND https://www.tiktok.com/@cwknix
• Chris Huntingford https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishuntingford/

✅Connect with the hosts

Mark Smith:
Blog https://www.nz365guy.com
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nz365guy

Meg Smith:
Blog https://www.megsmith.nz
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/megsmithnz

Subscribe, rate, and share with someone who wants to be future ready. Drop your questions in the comments or the WhatsApp group, and we may feature them in an upcoming episode.

✅Keywords: personal leadership, ai, gen x, gen z, millennials, prompting, prompt pipelines, financial literacy, health literacy, ai literacy, vibe coding, strengthsfinder

Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption

Support the show

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM

AI in HR tech is evolving fast, but not always meaningfully. Emre Ok shares how to separate hype from real innovation, why context matters more than features, and how remote teams can stay connected in a world of AI-generated feedback. This episode explores practical ways leaders can use AI to enhance - not replace - human connection at work.

👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/760

🎙️ What you’ll learn

• How to evaluate AI tools for real business impact
• Ways to use AI to improve performance reviews and feedback
• Why context-aware AI agents are the future of HR tech
• How remote teams can build stronger connections
• What leaders should ask before adopting new AI solutions

✅ Highlights

• “Is the tech you're implementing making your employees lonelier?”
• “You might as well just go to ChatGPT on another browser.”
• “We didn’t want to do it just to put a sparkly AI icon on our website.”
• “Performance reviews get such a bad rep, especially when they're an Excel spreadsheet.”
• “If it has context, if it knows your people, that's when it's real.”
• “The talent pool is global now—and that’s both exciting and frightening.”
• “Checking for bias is always an option.”
• “Copilot didn’t live up to the hype—but it’s getting there.”
• “The office just isn’t a necessity anymore.”
• “You don’t want to force it, but you want to encourage it.”
• “The more AI adapts to how people work, the better it gets.”
• “It’s harder to detach from work when your bedroom is also your corner office.”

🧰 Mentioned

• Microsoft Teams - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app
• TeamFlect - https://teamflect.com/
• Microsoft Copilot - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/for-individuals/
• ChatGPT by OpenAI - https://chatgpt.com/

✅Keywords
ai in hr tech, remote work, performance reviews, microsoft teams, copilot, employee engagement, feedback tools, bias detection, teamflect, chatgpt, hr software, workplace technology

Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoption

Support the show

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith