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 633: Wait And See Attitude

purposed worKING No Comments

“…He went in, sat with the guards, and waited to see what was going to happen to Jesus.”

You’d think that at work it would be one of the easiest places to get someone to take a stand and have a point of view. Yet, it can be just the opposite and the workplace can become filled with many people who just take a wait and see attitude and don’t declare their position until they are pretty sure that they know what is going to be decided so they don’t get on the wrong side of the decision makers. Wait and see attitudes can be deadly to a corporate cultures. Yet, the same decisions makers who don’t want this as part of their culture are the same people who can be the ones who promulgate and create this culture. If someone is punished or ridiculed for having a POV, then they will not bring forth their point of view next time asked. We don’t think we do this, but all we have to do is not reinforce and reward the stepping-forward as much as the right answer and we end up with a culture that holds back. It certainly can be less subtle than that but the subtleties are just as powerful in the message that they deliver. Leaders and co-workers need to go overboard in welcoming and encouraging a “there is no crazy idea or wrong point of view” philosophy, or otherwise human nature will take over and people will move into wait and see mode.

We read in the account of Matthew that Peter chose to take a wait and see attitude as Jesus was being taken to the cross. That wait and see attitude found him not close to Christ in the worst moments of his earthly life and also found Peter denying his affiliation with Jesus when asked. Peter’s moment of shame that has been told many times over came in a time when he decided to adopt a wait and see attitude instead of staying firm and forceful in his point of view. Interestingly, Peter was one who had a point of view that was so strong a few hours before that he was willing to die and swing a sword for Jesus. If Peter can change that fast then what can each of us do? Lots worse for sure. God doesn’t want us to take a wait and see attitude. He gives us all we need to stand up and be firm in our point of view and convictions: He stands with us in His Word, He provides reinforcement in prayer, He gives us His other followers who are there with us. Are we standing up today or are we in wait and see mode? Let’s make the choice today and when faced with moments where we can lean forward with His/our point of view, let’s not miss those opportunities. We are here too shortly to only wait and see.

Reference: Matthew 26:58 (New Living Testament)