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 2767: Emergency Goalies

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“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

You can always learn something new. I did this past weekend when an NHL team ran out of goalies (both were hurt) and the “emergency goalie” was brought in.  I didn’t know that every team must have a designated emergency goalie who, like an understudy, is hanging around every game in case the unlikely happens and the team doesn’t have anyone who can be put in that position.  In this case, the operations manager and former Zamboni driver was the designated emergency goalie and in he came and “saved” the game.  It made me think about the people we have on our teams who, in the pinch, could come in and do the job needed to be done, but we never “designate” them as such or even recognize that they have the talent, expertise or experience to do so.  Instead, we slot people into their one job and seem to forget everything else they can do, or have done. It might be that you have the need for your own “emergency goalie” and today would be a great day to start identifying who that might be.

Is it too far of a stretch to remind ourselves today that we have one who can make all of the “saves” for us each and every day?  That we when we go to work to face challenges, conflicts or people who disagree who are looking to make our lives harder that in our net, having our backs at all times, is the best of the best, and on the back of His jersey, the name that stands out above all the rest, “Jesus”.

Reference:  Matthew 1:21 (New Living Translation)

PS: Have a blessed Ash Wednesday.  Easter is near!