Author Archives: Rusty Rueff

About Rusty Rueff

Rusty Rueff, author of purposed worKING. Rusty Rueff is the former Chairman Emeritus of The GRAMMY Foundation in Los Angeles. He most recently completed the successful 16 month leadership role as Coordinating National Co-Chair for Technology for Obama (T4O) for the reelection of President Obama and ten-years of Board service and President of the Board of Trustees of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Corporately, most recently Rueff was the Chief Executive Officer at SNOCAP, Inc. until the acquisition of the company by imeem, Inc. in April 2008. Before joining SNOCAP in 2005, he was Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Electronic Arts (EA) from 1998 until 2005. He was also with the PepsiCo companies for more than ten years, with the Pratt & Whitney division of United Technologies for two years, and in commercial radio as an on-air personality for six years. Rusty holds an M.S. in counseling and a B.A. in radio and television from Purdue University. In 2003 he was named a distinguished Purdue alumnus, and he and his wife, Patti, are the named benefactors of Purdue’s Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts. He is a corporate director of Glassdoor.com and runcoach. He is the co-founder and Executive Committee Member of T4A.org, serves on the Founding Circle of The Centrist Project and a founding Board Member of The GRAMMY Music Education Coalition. He is also the co-author of the book Talent Force: A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business. Rusty and his wife, Patti, reside in Hillsborough, CA and Charlestown, R.I.

day 2200: Growing Up

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 “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”

I read this quote by fabled and many times controversial founder and CEO of Bridgewater Capital, Ray Dalio.  At 67 years old and a multi-billionaire, stating about his upcoming retirement, he said, “Any organization run by a 60-plus-year-old that says it isn’t in transition is either naive or disingenuous”.  I can’t say that this is always true but for the most part, by the time a leader reaches an age where she or he is beginning to think about transitioning or exiting their role, then it is time to begin planning for succession.  It’s hard, but it is what must be done if we are to ensure that the next generation is ready and the organization that is growing up is never left without a leader.

We are expected to grow up in our faith just like we have grown up chronologically.  We will all start from a different place of rebirth and that can happen at many different points in the a human life, but from then on, we are given the spiritual food and water to grow.  When we choose not to do so, we are missing out on the life that God wants us to have.  Part of growing up is recognizing where we are or aren’t do so.  Are we growing up today?

Reference:  1 Corinthians 13:11 (New Living Translation)