Payroll Congress attendees unlocked their leadership potential by attending a series of revelatory workshops this week as part of the Leadership Excellence Series held during the 44th Annual Payroll Congress.

Award-winning motivational speaker and longtime friend of PayrollOrg Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE was joined by leadership coach Anita Pereda and Garth Sheriff, CPA, CA, CPA (Illinois), CFE, CIA, CGMA, MAcc, the founder of Sheriff Consulting, to share their leadership insights to payroll professionals.

Fripp led off the series with “Leadership Presentations: How to Inspire Action and Commitment” on Tuesday, May 12. Few speakers know more about how important communication is to leadership. “If you want others to take action, they must first believe in you and your message,” she advised before offering often-overlooked techniques that strengthen every presentation, meeting, and conversation.

The series continued on Wednesday, as Sheriff presented “The AI Alignment Problem,” examining the artificial intelligence (AI) alignment dilemma, where AI objectives can clash with human values, and what that means for payroll professionals.

“I thought there was a lot of great information,” said Courtney Vogelpohl, Executive Director—Workforce Compensation and Benefits Solutions at Vanderbilt University. “I felt like the discussion was thought-provoking and helped me weed through personally where I fall with AI and what tools I can use.

"He talked about how to use it responsibly and ethically, and I enjoyed that. He came out and said technology is far ahead of where we should be, and that the genie is out of the bottle. Employers are all talking about how do you use it? What do you do? That’s what I got out of today’s discussion.”

Also on Wednesday, Fripp returned with “Speak with Confidence, Inspire with Clarity, and Lead with Conviction” where she taught the proven principles used by world-class communicators to elevate every interaction.

"I thought she was really engaging,” said Deanne Jaeckel, CPP, Payroll Manager at The Marzetti Company, “I love that it was interactive. I enjoyed her tips and tricks on preparing for future conversations, even if they are in an elevator."

The day ended with Pereda presenting “Resilient & Adaptive Leadership in Time of Disruption.”

“In times of disruption, the most effective leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones who can stay grounded, adapt quickly, and guide others through uncertainty with steadiness and trust,” said Pereda. “This workshop gives you the framework to build upon no matter what the circumstances.”

The Leadership Excellence Series concluded on Thursday, May 14, with Sheriff presenting in the morning “Professional Ethics: An FTX Story,” and that afternoon with the final workshop by Pereda, “Effectively Leading in a Multi-Generational Environment.”

“I think the key takeaway was just to understand that you’ve got to see other people through their lens and not just your own and to be cognizant of the fact that all of your opinions are actually through your own experiences. You have to be more empathetic and more open-minded when you are approaching other generations,” said John Harris, CPP, Director of Payroll at Cellular Sales.

Pereda spoke for all of the presenters when she reflected on the opportunities offered by the Leadership Excellence Series and the investment PayrollOrg makes in its members’ future.

“As a holistic leadership coach, I’m always energized to partner with organizations that are actively investing in their people—especially in environments that are constantly evolving,” said Pereda. “It speaks volumes about their commitment to both performance and humanity.

Sean Tait Bircher is the Writer and Editor of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg. Emily West is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.