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 1422: What It Takes To Get Noticed

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“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Most of us, at some point or another in our careers and our business, want to stand out from the rest of the crowd.  It could be as we launch a new product or service.  It could also be as we remake the branding of the company. Or individually, it could be when it is time for a promotion or reassignment to a new project.  But, what does it take to get noticed?  Some will say, “Just do what you do well and notice will come.”  There is truth to that, but I would say that is a base requirement and that’s not all of the answer.  We have to be willing to do something that moves us out of the throngs and into a place where we will be noticed.  It could be stepping forward and being the first at something.  It could be changing tactics to promote or market what we have created.  Or, it could be that we need to show extra effort, extra initiative and be the company or the person who goes beyond what is expected of us to delight who it is that counts on us. What is for sure that for whatever we desire or are working on, we need to have a plan that we can follow on how to gain notice of what it is that we are bringing forward.

Imagine the most well-known bad guy in town bringing public notice, recognition and exposure to himself? Hardly, right?  But, that’s what the notorious tax collector Zacchaeus did when he climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.  What happened when he ran ahead of the crowd, found that tree and perched himself above the crowd?  He got noticed and Jesus called him by name, and then went on to dine with him that evening, in Zacchaeus’ house of all places.  Jesus knows us all by name, and He is always here for us, but He is also teaching us that for Him, we should be willing to run in front of the crowd, make the effort to climb the tree, expose ourselves to see Him, and then be ready to hear our name and be invited to be with Him, where we are!  What crowd do we need to leave and get ahead of today?  What tree is there to be climbed?  Are we ready to do so this week?

Reference: Luke 19:5 (New Living Translation)

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