Rock Star Speakers Open Congress With Inspiring Words, Enjoyable Performances

Living up to its theme, “Payroll Rocks the World,” the 35th Annual Congress started off on a high note as two powerhouse speakers, both with music backgrounds, welcomed attendees during Tuesday’s Opening General Session.

The session, sponsored by rapid! PayCard, brought to the stage master entrepreneur, best-selling author, and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and corporate speaker and celebrity drummer Mark Schulman.

Simmons, who is best known for co-founding the hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings, had a lot to say during his session, “Success Through Stillness,” in a moderated Q&A session with Linda Larsen. To be professionally successful, Simmons said, it’s important to first find inner peace.

“When you operate from a comfortable space, you can be focused and actually do the work,” Simmons told Congress Today before his session. “When you have 100 thoughts in your mind at the same time, you do a sloppy job. A person who is awake and present is the greatest worker. A person who is flustered and has a busy mind is not.”

In “Hacking the ROCKSTAR Mindset,” Schulman shared his own stories, secrets, and observations, things he said would energize professionals in the payroll industry.

The “ROCKSTAR Mindset,” Schulman said, is based on four core concepts: Read, Own, Commit, and Know yourself.

R—Read the details of your craft, your audience, your market, and your competition.
O—Own your position, your expertise, and the stage and get more confidence.
C—Commit to a clear outcome, success, path, vision, and mission.
K—Know yourself. Know your strengths (and weaknesses), your brand, and your audience.

Schulman helped to energize Congress attendees with an amazing drum solo that brought the session to a motivational close.