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 1327: Point Of No Return

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“Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

I’ve been watching the progress of young team of entrepreneurs for a while now.  They have a very interesting and intriguing app idea where I also have interest.  There are three core team members and a couple of other people who are also working on the project.  The idea, the talent of the team and the opening in the market could be promising.  But, here’s the rub.  These guys all work in different companies and none of them have been willing to make the leap to quit their full time jobs and dive fully in.  They are frustrated because they can’t get funding or support outside of a few friends and family.  There is a reason.  Unless they are willing to show that they are ready to pass the point of no return, their commitment will be questioned.  We ask ourselves, “What was it about those people that made the difference?”  Many times, it is about the willingness to burn the ships and not go back.  This is true across so many aspects of business, entertainment, creativity, etc. Unless we can show that we are all in, there will be someone else wondering why they should follow someone who isn’t giving it their all?

This is the same question that those around us in our workplaces are asking about following Jesus.  When they see someone who is all in, then they are more open to finding out what this thing of following Jesus is all about. But when they see someone who professes to be a follower but instead cuts a corner here and there, talks behind someone the back of a co-worker, drops four letter words in meetings, etc. well, they don’t end up see anything much worth following.  God encourages us to take Him to the difficult places and call upon Him for the hard and seemingly undo-able. When we stop short of being willing to pass the point of no return for Him, then we cut off what might have been the next person who would ask, “Can you tell me more about your faith?”

Reference: Isaiah 7:10-11 (New Living Translation)