We had a bittersweet moment at Rustici Software recently. Mike Rustici retired and the gravity of that event is just now settling in. You can read more about what Mike is going to be up to here as he enjoys ‘retirement’.
Sending Mike off in style with his favorite things (Saugy dogs, terrible domestic beer, and an even worse ice cream concoction) was a celebration. And sharing memories of working with him for the past 8 years brought up a ton of the feels. The most amazing part of this day was looking around the room and seeing what an incredible workplace Mike has created over the years and the people he has pulled together along the way.
When I first came to Rustici Software I was blown away by the company that he and Tim had built. Together they created a work environment that put the people that work here first and an openness and humility to say, ‘if we’re doing this wrong, tell us.’ Thankfully not a lot was wrong and he gave me and others the space to contribute to the business in meaningful ways.
Along the way I have learned a ton from Mike. Of course, I now know more about SCORM than I ever imagined, but even more importantly I have learned what a true leader can and should be. This post probably sums it up best on what Mike and Tim have created here at Rustici Software.
So it’s with happy and sad tears that we send Mike off to the next adventure. To Mike we say a heartfelt ‘Thank you’ for taking a chance on each of us. We will continue to do our best to keep Rustici Software the place you originally imagined (even humoring our co-workers’ questionable beer and ice cream preferences).
We’re even keeping your name, even though it’s really hard to pronounce.
