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 1238: When The Pros Play Together As A Team – The President’s Cup

purposed worKING No Comments

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble…”

We can say it, professional sports athletes are something different from the rest of us mere mortals. To make it to the professional ranks, it’s not about luck. It starts with talent, amazing talent, and then the rest must fall in place.  Those who get to breath the rarefied air either learn how to breath it in for a fullness or the experience, or they get dizzy and lose their balance (figuratively and literally).  Most professional sports have an opportunity for the best of the best to play with each other, but most of the sports make this something of a spectacle that doesn’t mean much,  Think; All-Star Games and Pro Bowls.  One game that is different is the PGA.  I watched the President’s Cup over the weekend and like the Ryder Cup, the best of the best come together and they compete at their highest level, but with each other and they do it seriously.  When I see this it is not only fun to watch, but also a time when these athletes appear more genuine and human than when they compete individually or on their own seasonal teams.  This also makes me think how much better we would be in our work if we were to have more opportunities to work (and compete) on larger stages with others who would up our game.  We can allow our best to get out there in the market to speak, consult, sit on Boards, etc. that will only up their game!

When we approach our work as believers trying to bring glory to God in our jobs, we shouldn’t think we have to do it alone. Here is what can happen.  God tells us that if we come together as two or more, He will be there as well.  Think about the multiplying effect of having others on the same team to achieve the goal.  God is challenging us to bring our best game to our workplaces so it only makes sense to have others paired with us.  Is there someone in your workplace who you can be there for them and they there for you?  Come together and invite God to work with you today and experience the power of God’s support and presence.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:9 (New Living Translation)