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 2056: Who To Make Look Good?

“If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.”

I was having a meeting with someone who I used to work with.  We were recounting different leaders for whom we had worked and my friend said something very honest to me.  He said, “I might have lost out a few times on promotions, moves or not being associated with the right people in power at the right time, but I always felt it was my job to make my boss look good.”  He went on to describe how he did that during a time when his boss was under lots of pressure and falling out of favor.  All the rest of the boss’s reports jumped ship and joined the crowd of the displeased.  But not my friend (one of the reasons I have always respected him so much).  And in the long run it all worked out for him. It’s fairly common for us to wonder who we need to please.  In the long run, we should never bite the hand that feeds us and loyalty to the boss will win the day.

If we are to make our boss look good then are we not to try and make our King look even better? Yes, we are.  Each and every moment of our work day and each and every moment of our lives. It’s really that clear and not at all crazy!

Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:13 (New Living Translation)