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 2347: The Business: Part 3 – Acting the Part

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“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.“

Here is a little five-part series I’ve titled, “The Business” to dive down into a few areas of business leadership that we sometimes overlook.

No one really teaches us what it looks like to be in a working role.  Sure, we go to school to learn the book part, but the first time we sit down at the cubicle or get promoted to a new position or appointed to a new role, there is that moment when we have to act like we know what we are doing and then go do it.  As you know, I am a big Seth Godin fan (as are millions of his readers) and recently he provided the four areas where we can act like an entrepreneur, even though we may not be one, or even want to be one.  I found them informative because when we are problem solving or creating, they hold up as strong direction and axioms to follow.  Seth says entrepreneurs do these things:

1. They make decisions.

2. They invest in activities and assets that aren’t a sure thing.

3. They persuade others to support a mission with a non-guaranteed outcome.

4. They embrace (instead of run from) the work of doing things that might not work.

You see, we can act out being an entrepreneur, even though we might not be one.  And, we can act out any role if we put our mind to it.

Jesus tells us how to act out being a worker for His glory. He tells us to watch over the small things, to act faithfully and honestly in what we do.  Why does He have to go the trouble to tell us this?  It’s because this is not the way of the world and we must be reminded of how we are to act.  All around us there are those in power and leadership who are acting in ways that take us by new surprises.  Words are used that offend others and wouldn’t be acceptable from any of us, but yet they are being adopted and defended.  Actions are taken that cause strife and hurt and they are becoming a new normal of acceptability.  But, these are not to be our ways, says our Lord.  We are to be the opposite and remain faithful, honest and uplifting in all that we do.  That is how we are to act in the roles, responsibilities and jobs we are entrusted.

Reference: Luke 16:10 (New Living Translation)