You Can Be a Difference Maker

Emmy-Award Speaker Coming to Payroll Congress

There are various ways to describe the practice of innovation and what it should mean to leaders in business and industry, but it's often a subject that leaders find hard to address.

Some will use fancy words or phrases to describe innovation, such as “cutting-edge,” “transformative,” or “revolutionary.”

But all too often, that’s as far as it goes, and those who are looking to business leaders for that aha moment to jumpstart their creativity may feel, well, uninspired.

Thus, they may begin to think that those leaders don’t understand the concept of innovation at all but that’s where Bill Stainton, CSP, CPAE, steps in.

Stainton will be one of three keynote speakers at the 41st Annual Payroll Congress, which takes place May 16-19 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver.

The 29-time Emmy Award winner is making his first appearance at Payroll Congress and plans to speak on what he has learned about the art of innovation in his presentation, sponsored by rapid!, “Connect the Dots: The Art and Science of Innovation.”

“The Payroll Congress is one of those legendary events among professional speakers,” Stainton said. “This is the big leagues. This is the show.”

Career Journey

Stainton’s journey into the world of public speaking began in the late 1990s, and like many payroll careers, it was completely by chance.

Between 1984 and 1999, Stainton was the executive producer, writer, and cast member of “Almost Live,” a successful local comedy television show in Seattle.

The show enjoyed top ratings locally for 10 years, and the cast members—along with Stainton—were consistent Emmy Award winners. But that tidal wave of success that had carried the cast members for more than a decade came crashing down in 1999.

“I’d gotten overconfident over those 15 years,” he said. “I bought a new house and a new car, and a month later they canceled the show.”

Like a lot of entertainers who have suddenly found themselves out of work, Stainton discovered quickly that he had to be innovative and find his Plan B.

It occurred to him that his status as a local celebrity had often allowed him to make personal appearances, which required speaking in front of an audience.

It sounded easy enough because it was something he’d grown used to over the years, and it seemed like a natural segue from being an entertainer.

Stainton initially received numerous invitations to speak at local civic groups in Seattle, where he shared the behind the scenes stories of working in entertainment and what it was like working with big-name entertainers like Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, and Jerry Seinfeld.

Admittedly, Stainton had a lot of material, but not the kind he needed to branch out beyond the confines of Seattle.

“I had to figure out what I knew I could do,” he said. “I was a comedy writer and a TV producer. That’s a pretty limited audience. I could talk about the show in Seattle, but people in Dallas had never seen the show. That was a total mindset shift, to go and talk to people who didn’t know who you are.”

Then, he had an epiphany.

The years he’d spent as a television producer and being “creative on demand” had garnered more than trophies and awards. The years had taught him how to harness the power of innovation and imagination, how to lead a creative team, and how to foster a positive team spirit that could lead to success.

A Student of Speaker Legends, Like Patricia Fripp

He joined the National Speakers Association, and realized he’d found his new niche. He made friends with other professional speakers who knew a lot more than he did about the craft and who willingly shared their knowledge and expertise of public speaking.

He became a student of speakers such as Mark Sanborn and APA favorite, Patricia Fripp, which helped him develop his own unique speaking style.

Aside from his busy public speaking gig, Stainton is the author of four books: “The Innovation Blueprint,” “The Executive Producer,” “The 5 Best Decisions the Beatles Ever Made,” and “Lead Like the Beatles.”

He has spoken in front of hundreds of professional organizations and corporations about the significance of creativity and innovation in the business world.

“Innovation and creativity are vital for any organization that goes through any kind of change,” Stainton said. “Things can change quickly and the best defense for that is being able to innovate on demand, to be able to turn on a dime, and be able to take a situation and capitalize on it. It’s the ability to take whatever comes our way and innovate around it.”

Stainton said he wants to leave attendees at Payroll Congress realizing—if they don’t already—that they have the power to be difference makers. It’s just a matter of harnessing that realization.

“The ideas are all around us, we just have to start looking for them,” he said. “The payroll profession is a unique profession that requires innovative solutions to every problem. When you address those challenges, then you must look at them in new ways, which will require new innovative solutions. I want everyone in that audience to know they are innovators, and they are creative.”

Bryan Kirk is the Senior Writer and Editor of Membership Publications for the APA.