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 608: Closed Door Meetings

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“But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!”

When the door closes at work it usually means that something is about to be talked about that someone is not supposed to hear. Of course, confidentiality is important, but many times in our work, the door closes to say things that we want to say because we don’t want to say them in front of others because it would be uncomfortable or disconcerting. it’s just easier to cut ourselves off from others for a few minutes or hours. How refreshing it would be if all could be planned, talked about, debated, and agreed upon with the door really always being open. But, it doesn’t work that way. We close the doors and small groups of people make big and important decisions that can affect everyone. However, if we lived and worked consistently like this we would never receive the benefit of knowledge and growth that we can obtain from others. This past weekend my Pastor used the metaphor of a giant tree and how what is below the surface, in the root system, that we never see is what feeds, grows, and stabilizes the tree.

When we metaphorically operate with the doors closed, we are not opening ourselves up below the surface and we are limiting ourselves. When we feel like closing the door, retreating, or staying insulated, then we are surely not growing. Jesus told us this about our relationship with Him. He is the vine. We are the branches. When we are connected to him we grow and all things become possible. When we don’t, then we cut ourselves off from Him and we will whither. Today, you are going to have times when you want to “close the door”. Let’s today not close the door but instead be open to allowing ourselves to expand, grow and develop in full light and with full disclosure.

Reference: John 15:17 (New Living Testament)