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 2340: Most Admired

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“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.”

On Friday, Fortune Magazine again released their annual list of “Most Admired Companies”.  Not surprising (BTW, the list was compiled before they announced their return of foreign profits to the US and investment in US jobs and a new second headquarters), Apple leads the way.  Here are the rest of the most admired:

Most Admired

 

 

 

The only two on the list that at all are quizzical to me are the two that most of us don’t have some regular interaction with and those are Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase.  I also get past JPMorgan as we do see Chase Bank in many consumer oriented activities/locations, etc.  So, that leaves us with, “Why Berkshire Hathaway”?  Of course we know the financial success of Warren Buffett and his team.  But, if we have been watching closely, Berkshire Hathaway has been inching closer and closer to becoming a known consumer service brand.  Have you noticed the real estate signs? Have you seen the moving trucks?  Other companies brands are tag-lined now with “A Berkshire Hathaway Company”.  What does this tell us?  What it says to me is that our brand recognition is the first step in driving admiration.  There are many awesome companies that deliver phenomenal results to their customers, employees and shareholders.  And we may never have heard of them, yet.  So, when your marketing person talks about the importance of your “brand”, or your Talent leader/recruiters make mention of the “employment brand”, take notice because our brands can be managed, improved and cared for, which can lead to the deepening of the emotional relationship with our consumer and customers; admiration.

Jesus is VERY clear on from whom we are to seek admiration and not!  But, it is not lost on God that those who strive to lead their lives as He has taught us, will gain admiration in the eyes of the Father and from others around us.  If we are truly being salt and light of the world and those characteristics set us apart in a good way, then there will be, by default, admiration.  The key is to not be seeking it as the driver of who we are.  Like the brands above, they don’t run their business with the goal of becoming the “Most Admired”, they lead their businesses with let’s be true to a brand that meets the needs and desires of our consumers first and foremost and then let the admiration follow. And so, are we to be.  Let’s be consistent in who we are with our beliefs, values and principles within our jobs and then when admiration is bestowed let’s be ready to share “why”.

Reference: Matthew 6:1 (New Living Translation)