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 894: Recruiting Messages

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“Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

I was interviewed a few times last week about the perks and comforts that Silicon Valley is once again lavishing on employees and whether or not this is necessary, and if it even works.  The answer is not simple because one size does not fit all and the challenges of supply and demand of talent drives many decisions as it relates to these extras.  But, I have always fallen back on the fact that none of the perks matter if a company doesn’t have a core message that resonates with prospective employees regarding the vision of the company, the vision for employees and how the company will be able to bring to life the professional and personal hopes and dreams of each and every employee.  That is what really matters.  If a company has that right, then the other extras are icing on the cake.  Without the cake though, the icing is just expensive nutrient empty fluff that really doesn’t matter.  It’s our jobs to be sure that there is a there there and that our recruiting message of the company is one of substance, first.

Jesus recruited well.  He was able to bring together a group of men, from all walks of life, who followed Him and then went on to be writers, scholars, teachers, pastors, and leaders of the Christian life that we know now.  Jesus recruited with a message about what He had to offer these men but also He connected at a level that brought the message alive to them.  Telling the two fishermen, Andrew and Simon (Peter) that He would teach them to fish for people was maybe one of the greatest lines for recruiting someone ever said.  These were fishermen, so they understood what He was saying.  He couldn’t have made it more personal and relevant to them.  In our own lives as we recruit others to the Kingdom are we using our own personal examples and true relationships to our most powerful way of persuading?  Jesus was in touch with what would stir and move Andrew and Peter.  If we are not paying attention to what it is that means something to others then we will miss our opportunity to have the right words at the right moment for them and will have missed the true recruiting message.

Reference: Mark 1:17 (New Living Testament)