Sekou Andrews Brings His Poetic Voice to Payroll Congress

Inspirational, impactful, and innovative. These are just some of the words that have been used to describe Sekou Andrews and his uniquely creative speaking style known as Poetic Voice.

Andrews, who Forbes magazine dubbed “the de facto poet laureate of corporate America,” was the first of three keynote speakers at the 40th Annual Payroll Congress.

Andrews’ presentation, “The Audacity of What If,” challenged the audience of payroll professionals from around the world to ask themselves those “what if” questions that pertain to their business, profession, and who they are or want to ultimately become.

 "All of my presentations always incorporate elements of mindset, inspiration, social impact, and humanizing yourself, your business, and your content,” he said. “For me, it’s never the same type of presentation. I am always looking to get to the heart of their industry and their topic.”

For years, Andrews dabbled in entertainment and competed at numerous open mic hip-hop venues. He even started his own record label in the 1990s and promoted his brand at many of these events. That’s when he discovered his Poetic Voice.

IIn 2002, Sekou decided it was time to fully devote himself to being an entrepreneur and a poet full time. In just a few short years, he was working with dozens of businesses and corporations, such as Google, Viacom, LinkedIn, Nike, PayPal, and Global Green. He had found a way to use Poetic Voice to provide inspiration to leaders and professionals in nearly every business category.

 The most common topics—prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—were innovation and disruption, which ironically were byproducts that occurred because of the pandemic. Since then, his most requested topics have centered on resilience and growth, as well as leadership, wellness, community, and more.

“I love the conversion factor of what I do,” he said. “The whole aura of the room lifts as if they are experiencing something that is unexpected.”

Kelly Penn, Payroll Operations Support Manager for SEI in Houston, enjoyed Andrews' presentation. She said that he told a really good story and offered a lot of good advice.

"I got a lot of gems from him that are sticking out in my mind right now," Penn said. "One of them is that the world is a potluck, so it’s just not cool to show up emptyhanded. What are you leaving behind?"

Christena Verrill, National Payroll Manager at LL Bean in Freeport, Maine, said that Andrews' presentation made her very emotional. She now knows why people call him a poet.

"He tells a great story," Verrill said. "“I am not a touchy-feely person, but he made it so you want to be. He made it so that you can do that. It was an inspirational presentation.”

Luanne Brown, CCP, the National Member Director at HR Total Rewards Operations, felt the same energy from Andrews as most of the other Congress attendees.

"Just as soon as he started talking, you just felt it," Brown said. "I got the message that no matter what industry, it’s about people. It’s about connecting with people. He touched everybody. I would be shocked if there was anyone who didn’t feel it.”

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