William A. Adams is an award-winning D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) innovator, engineering trailblazer, and philanthropist. From an early accomplishment of rolling out critical XML code to many of Microsoft's core products globally, he was later named the first Technical Advisor to the CTO of Microsoft, Kevin Scott. William has founded and overseen global initiatives that revolutionize how underserved communities access jobs and build careers at the company. As co-founder of the Microsoft Leap program – named Microsoft’s D&I Program of the Year in 2020 – he helped launch the training of more than 26 cohorts around the world. Today, a high percentage of Microsoft Leap participants obtain jobs within Microsoft or other high-tech companies. His most recent collaboration has been in the U.S. Virgin Islands, developing a strong tech ecosystem, training technical talent, and evolving critical technical infrastructure.

Early in his 35+ year software engineering career, William was one of the first Black entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Through his company, Adamation, he developed mission-critical custom enterprise apps for Steve Jobs’ NeXT computers and pioneered a network instant messaging service purchased by the CIA. He holds two patents. Mindfulness In A World Of Tech

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Contact Info

• Website: www.william-a-adams.com
• Blog: William A. Adam's Blog

Most Influential Person

• Mahatma Gandhi

Effect on Emotions

• Since I have a live creed, the first word is learning, I can look at any situation that might make me less angry. What's to be learned about this? What is the opportunity? Therefore
• We lived in LA for a few months, and we were in an apartment and the people below us were very angry that we made too much noise. And I went to them one day and said, how can I help reduce the noise? What's really bothering you? And this person was just irate and wouldn't listen. They were not just angry, they slammed the door in my face. I thought okay, that's on her. Therefore
• I tried to work it out. And I could have been yelling back at her and getting all up in arms. But I took a step back and thought, Okay, she's not having a good time. That isn't because of me, it's because of her, and I tried to learn from the situation. I thought, I'm going to take the high road here, we're still going to try to be quieter because I've heard the complaint. But I can't satisfy her. Therefore
• So I'm not going to try to satisfy her. I'm going to try to do my best. That's the kind of thing where I just turn emotions into learning opportunities. And I don't shy away from this, like, my heart was broken. I don't try to put the emotion away. That's how I deal with emotions. Therefore

Thoughts on Breathing

• I went to a naturopathic doctor a few years ago. I went through this breathing study and we figured out the perfect rhythm for my breathing is like, seven counts and hold it. I found that seven counts out helped to make my heart rate even. Therefore
• I would say that having done that practice a few times, and every once in a while, I'll actually put on this. We made an audio thing that has the beats, breathe in, breathe. So just to help you recenter I do that every once in a while, and I do it within the relationship to exercise, usually. Therefore
• Because that's where I really need to practice. It's where it's most acute, I think, on a daily basis sitting at my desk, probably not so much. I practice getting up and taking breaks. But I can't say that I really get into my breathing when I'm studying. It's best just to walk away from my computer. Therefore

Suggested Resources

• Book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice

Bullying Story

• When I was a child, my father passed away when I was seven. And my bigger brother, who's two and a half years older than me, is the man of the house. He was an angry young black man. So at school, he did not allow anyone to mess with me. He let it be known that if you've messed with my brother, you're gonna answer to me, and he was a fighter. Therefore
• So no one at school messed with me. I would say that bullying in the real world, though, manifests in many different ways, from microaggressions to the stuff we were just talking about, not getting VC money. Therefore
• Mindfulness helps in this environment, and I'll call this bullying. It comes down to conscious intentions, if you know what and why it helps you through those moments.
• I have to look at myself and say, well, but what am I about? Who am I? Where's my center? Where's my sense of self? Where do I get my value from? And it's, I try to make your focus on me, not external things. Then I can weather those little storms
• So I think mindfulness helps you buttress against what the world pushes at you on a constant basis. You can call it bullying, but it's just the way the world is. It's not fair. It's a tough world out there. It's a competitive sport; living is.
• It's like if you have a mindfulness practice, you know who you are. And you know how to recenter on that constant basis. So it helps you buttress against the world. Therefore

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• The Future of Happiness With Amy Blankson
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