Brief Summary:

Our podcast guest for this episode is William A. Adams, Technical Advisor to CTO at Microsoft. William shared a story of the impact of being the only black person at Microsoft for at least 15 years, and the moment he realized there was something specific he was called to do and how that vision took conviction and perseverance to see it through.

Key insights from this episode: 

• (04:07) William tells us who he is and what he cares about
  
  
• (06:13) William explains how he began to tackle the diversity pipeline and hiring issue at Microsoft
  
  
• (08:03) What is the Microsoft LEAD program, and how was it imagined and developed?
  
  
• (12:14) William explains a few of the challenges he faced while implementing an increase in diversity to Microsoft's workforce, and what he learned from these obstacles.
  
  
• (15:16) How he made sure  his diversity program get financial longevity.
  
  
• (17:55) William shares one of the primary factors at play that helped him influence others in his role as a change-agent at Microsoft.
  
  
• (18:56) William shares his process wrestling through the question, "why do I have to be the one to lead and pay the price for this big change project?", and how that drove his personal motivation to persevere, despite arrows in his back.
  
  
• (22:09) William shares more of his back story and why his 'fuel' is meaningful to him.
  
  
• (26:00) William crystalizes the impact he wants to make through his work.
  
  
• (28:24) William explains a term he coined, 'tequity.’
  
  
• (35:36) William shares his mindset in going into a big change and how it may reflect on him afterwards.
  
  
• (37:57) William shares the most rewarding part of the programs he's built and their impact in the world.
  
  
• (39:17) William shares where you can learn more about his work.
  
  
• (40:03) William shares how he likes to unwind after work.

Links mentioned on this episode: 

Website - William-A-Adams.com

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Watch live video interview.
Read the full transcript of this episode.