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 2912: Shots Taken and Shots Given

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“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

The musical Hamilton has the lyrics, “I’m not giving away my shot”.  It references the opportunity that Alexander Hamilton had been given to make an impact on the founding of our Country with his knowledge and ideas. At the same time, the “shot” refers to the bullets fired in the duel that killed his son and later, himself.  The “shots” represent both success and tragedy at the same time.  Maybe, it’s a little like the “shots” of vaccine that are now being distributed around the world.  They represent the hopeful future of when the pandemic is behind us, but the pent up demand and frustration that comes with not enough, poor distribution practices, decisions on who and when should receive them all remind us of how hard all of this is on us; all the while people are still dying.  In sports, we have to take a shot to score and we also depend on others to provide and assist us to give us our shorts.  The same is true in business.  In all, we need to not take for granted or make useless our shot when given and we have to admire and be grateful to those who sacrificed and gave up something to be sure that we have gotten and will get our future shots to succeed.  Shots are taken and shot are given. Let’s be grateful for both and never waste what is given to us.

God has given us just one life and He challenges us to use it wisely and to His glory. I was reflecting in the 25th Chapter of Matthew on what are these areas that He wants to see us serve Him and what can we do with the shot at life that He has given us. The words in Verses 35-36 reminded me of where our shots should be taken with those who are, “Hungry, Thirsty, Strangers, Naked, Sick and in Prison.  If we are looking on how to not give way the shot at this amazing life we have been given, we need to look no further than figure out how we can serve any or all on that list.

Reference: Matthew 25: 35-36 (New Living Translation)