Remembering the Awkward Years

Every parent remembers the awkward years. The phase where your kid clearly had potential, but no one else could quite see it yet. A little clunky, a little misunderstood, trying very hard, but somehow always ending up on the fringe of the group project.

That kid was SharePoint.

I remember defending it with the kind of loyalty only a parent can muster. You know the tone. “It’s actually really powerful once you get to know it.” “You just haven’t seen it in the right context yet.” “No, it’s not ugly, it’s… functional.” Meanwhile, the feedback from the outside world was far less kind. “Nobody uses it.” “It’s just a file dump.” “Why does it look like that?”

You smile politely, nod along, and think to yourself, One day you’ll see.

Braces, Bad Haircuts, and Classic SharePoint

Back then, SharePoint had serious braces energy. All the bones were there. Strong foundation. Good posture. Solid values. But visually? Let’s just say it wasn’t winning any popularity contests. Classic SharePoint did the job, but it wasn’t turning heads. Pages felt heavy. Customizations piled up. Every site looked like it had picked its outfit in the dark. People openly stated "SharePoint Sucks".

SharePoint Doesn’t Suck! YOUR deployment of SharePoint sucks!

As the parent, you were the one saying, “It’s not about looks,” while quietly hoping for the day it would stop being… hard to explain.

The Day the Braces Come Off

Then the braces came off. Modern SharePoint showed up with clean lines, responsive layouts, and pages that finally looked like they belonged in this decade. Suddenly the same kid everyone had been ignoring walked back into the room looking confident, polished, and very aware of it. Same brain. Same values. Just finally comfortable in its own skin.

And that visual glow-up changed everything.

People stopped leading with, “Why is it so ugly?” and started asking, “Can we use this for our intranet?” Adoption got easier when things didn’t look like homework. Trust grew when sites felt intentional instead of accidental. SharePoint didn’t just look better. It felt better. That made all the difference.

Who’s That? Wow…
They Sure Look Cool!

Around the same time, SharePoint stopped trying so hard to be the center of attention and settled comfortably into being the place everything naturally connected. That’s when the cool kids started paying attention.

Microsoft Teams showed up first, because it turns out conversations actually need a home and not just an endless chat scroll that disappears into the void. OneDrive followed, dependable as ever, syncing files and quietly pointing them back to where they belonged. And when Microsoft Lists pulled up a chair, that’s when the friend group really clicked. Suddenly there was structure without rigidity, organization without drama, and just enough color-coding to make everyone feel like they had their life together.

Before you knew it, SharePoint wasn’t sitting alone anymore.

Who’s the Cool Kid, Now?

Now when someone asks, “Where does this live?” there’s no awkward silence or vague hand-waving. The answer is simple.

Suck it People… It’s ALL SharePoint!

Projects land there. Knowledge stays there. Teams points there. Work actually happens there, not because anyone forced it, but because it finally makes sense. (Oh, and maybe because they slapped Teams on top of it without telling you!)

A Proud Parent Pause

As the parent, this is the moment where you try not to brag. You casually say things like, “Oh yeah, SharePoint can do that,” while quietly glowing inside. Because you remember the braces. You remember the awkward phase. And you remember when no one wanted to use it.

This isn’t just a success story. It’s a reminder that the best platforms don’t always win popularity contests right away. Sometimes they grow up quietly, doing the hard work, waiting for the moment when everything finally clicks. SharePoint didn’t change who it was. It grew into who it was always meant to be.

And as we head into Day 24 of the birthday celebration, and the candles on the cake, this feels like the perfect pause. A proud parent moment. A knowing smile. I knew you could.

Has Your Organization Noticed that the Braces have Come Off?