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 648: The Power Of Staying Close

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“Meanwhile, Peter was following far behind…”

The debate has raged every since the creation of the “field office” whether or not those who are in headquarters or the field have better chances of career progression. While it is not scientific, there is definitely truth that those who are closer to the boss, just because of familiarity and the convenience of proximity, will be provided some opportunities that those who are just “not around” will not receive. “Out of sight of mind” does play into this. This doesn’t mean that we all have to work within a headquarters, but it is does mean that we should ensure that we stay close to those who are making decisions about our careers, certainly close enough that they know and understand who we are and what we desire in our careers. The other reason that we need to stay “close” is that it is only when we are close that we stay consistent with what needs to be happening or not. This can shape our actions and keep us on the right path and not allow us to stray and get off strategy. Know who you need to stay close to and be sure and develop a strong relationship of trust and open communication. This way you will always be close enough to have the knowledge you need.

The same can be said about our lives and our walk with Christ. When we are close to Him we stand the best chance of being consistent and pure in our lives. When we stray and distance comes between us and Him then we can end up falling into things that are not good. No where is that better described than in the account of Peter at the time of Jesus moving to the cross. After the scene in the garden, the Bible says that the Disciples dispersed and Peter decided to follow well behind Christ. He hung back and put distance between himself and Jesus. It was in that distance that he was asked his affiliation with Jesus and he denied Him three times. God never leaves us. It is only us that can put the distance between ourselves and Him. There is power in staying close and certainly diminished power in straying and losing proximity. We need to stay close by being in His Word, praying, and listening for Him and also in fellowship and worship with other believers. Today may be the day that we either will stand up for Him or do our own denial dance. Being close will help ensure that we want to stand up for Him and not leave Him behind. How close are you today?

Reference: Matthew 26:58 (New Living Testament)