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 150: Corporate Responsibility

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We have been reading and hearing lots about “Corporate Responsibility” and what that means today. At one time, “Corporate Responsibility” was about financial integrity and philanthropy back to the community. Many companies felt good about what they did and how they operated if they were running the business in the right way for their employees and partners/customers, making money for their shareholders and giving back in some way to the community. All that made sense to me too. These were fundamental principles that got lost somewhere along the way. Shortcuts were taken and corners were cut and before we long we had financial integrity issues everywhere, abuse of employees (domestically and globally), disregard for customers and irreparable damage being done to the environment. Today, through both external and internal pressures from shareholders, advocacy groups, government and employees, companies are having to rethink their positions of the past. Senior positions are being created to lead “Corporate Responsibility” and prestigious universities like Stanford are partnering with other universities around the world to teach corporate executives how to be responsible. This is all good and we can see it trickling down in the workplace on how we think about recycling, waste, product sourcing, employee treatment and other activities. While it seems a little outlandish on the surface, I think it is kind of cool that Google has now contracted with a farmer to bring in hundreds of goats once a year to clear the grass on their properties here in California. No more power lawn cutting the grass at Google. Even with all of this “good” going on though we still seem to miss the ” bigger good” that God is asking each of us to have in our jobs. We as believers also have our own “corporate responsibility” to uphold. We are examples, role models, beacons to the purpose that we live and work. And, as such we must do our own “good” and make our own sacrifices. We see this clearly set ourt for us in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 13:15-16: “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” While we do the good that we are to do in the world that comes from the efforts of man, we are also to be sure that we are striving for that higher purpose to bring praise and glory to God in our work and lives and when we do good we are to do so in His spirit and name, sharing and serving those are in need. I am encouraged and lifted up with all the “good” that our society wants to do right now. Let us each be additive in the good and corporate responsibility that we have by elevating our own game to be sure that we are also doing the best of all goods.

Reference: Hebrews 13:15-16 (New Living Testament)