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 1397: Under Pressure…



While I am on a pilgrimage walk on the Camino de Santiago (St. James Way) in Spain, I have asked some of the most committed and courageous faith-driven business leaders I know to guest contribute to Purposed worKING.  Enjoy! – Rusty
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“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  
I recently saw a t-shirt worn by NFL quarterback Robert Griffith III, that said “No Pressure, No Diamond”.  It’s an old quote by a Scottish philosopher named Thomas Carlyle from the 1800s. Geologists tell us that diamonds are produced out of highly organized carbon squeezed under pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch and heated to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Now that’s what I call a heated and pressure packed situation!
The concept that great results can be produced when there is internal or external pressure is well proven throughout time. From a very young age, we can all relate to the pressure that comes with performance.  Think back to your first spelling test and the butterflies that circled your stomach as you crammed with your Mom or Dad the night before.
In the workplace, the pressure and stress can be overwhelming at times. The expectations that others put on us or we put on ourselves can cause us to produce the desired results but at what cost.  We can become so obsessed and focused on perfect production that we suffer mentally and/or physically. The heat can also cause us to neglect others and make choices that are not in line with our values.
A diamond has the highest hardness of any bulk material. If we do not stay in constant communication with our Creator, we can become hardened too.
Worldly success is a blessing that can in turn bless others.  However, we can have an eternal peace that is not the result of our production but of His love.  With Jesus, we can rest easy and rejoice always regardless of our circumstances. The t-shirt could have also said “No Pressure, Just Peace”. 
Reference:  John 16:33
Anthony George, Founder/Co-owner