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 2663: Grit and G.R.I.T.

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“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Grit has become more and more a term used to point towards an indescribable characteristic in a person who seems to always get the job done, is prepared to tackle whatever is thrown their way, who perseveres through thick and thin, who goes at whatever they are given with an attitude of the possible and achievement. I could go on and on, but I guess Grit is something we know when we see it.  I also have observed that those who I think have Grit are always on the ready.  The don’t miss a beat and they seem to always be on the starting line. So for me, Grit might stand for something.   It may well be that to have Grit means, G.R.I.T. – “Get Ready….It’s Time”.  What an awesome attitude to have…always getting ready because I know that it is time.  Time for what?  It doesn’t matter as I’ll know it when I see it, but regardless, I will never not be ready.  Being known for having G.R.I.T. is easier said than done.  And it is easier, as most things are, if we are acquiring and practicing our G.R.I.T. with others who share the same dedication.  So, if you we are wondering today on how to get and keep more G.R.I.T. in ourselves, one way to do so would be to find that person you know who already demonstrates such and say, “Hey, let’s stay ready together”.

These past months of reflecting on how best to spend one’s time (catalyzed a lot by the accident that Patti’s brother had – thank you for your prayers as he is better every day – now walking with a rolling “walker” and climbing three stairs during rehab, on his way back to full recovery we believe) has made me think more and more about G.R.I.T.  What am I getting ready for and it is without question, it is time to be ready.  I know I am not alone in this questioning.  What God’s Word reveals to us is that our time is numbered and that we are to keep our focus on the eternal.  That doesn’t mean that we are to hermit ourselves and just wait it out until we move to our eternal lives. But, the efforts between now and then has to be about strengthening our G.R.I.T. so that when the time does come, we are more than ready with such wonderful anticipation for “well done”.

Reference: Matthew 24:44 (New Living Translation)