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 2568: Authority Levels

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“They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?”

Well run companies have established authority levels that are clear and understood. Each person knows how much they can spend, invest, or commit to before they must ask for approval from the level above them.  It really helps and takes away any question of who can can do what and to what extent.  But, what it doesn’t do is establish authority.  Because we know what a person is allowed to do, doesn’t mean that everyone around her/him believes, respects or recognizes their authority.  This they must earn.  Authority is earned by being able to demonstrate to others what one can do and then doing it in a way that others want to emulate and follow.  Consider today whether or not your company runs on dictated or earned authority?

Those who encountered Jesus wanted to see what He could do. They needed miracles to believe.  It’s not so different today for us as followers of Jesus.  Around us, people are looking for us to be their example of what a believer should be.  Patti and I were having brunch last month with two dear friends.  They are Jewish and God stopped for them after the book of Malachi.  But when they talk about the Old Testament they always say to me, “You being a Bible scholar will know.”  I am far from a Bible scholar, but in their minds because I read the Bible daily and talk to them about what I have gleaned from God’s Word, they bestow on me “authority”.  And for me, I must live up to that and accept what comes with it.  The same is happening today with our co-workers.  The more we are congruent in our beliefs and actions, the more that authority is given.  Then, we just need to live up to that level.

Reference: John 6:30 (New Living Translation)