At Team Rubicon, we abide by a set of cultural principles, which are painted on the office wall and shared across the country. “Step Into The Arena” refers to a 1910 Teddy Roosevelt speech on citizenship where he perfectly captured the spirit of daring greatness, reminding us to dare to be great and don’t settle for mediocrity.
“Step Into The Arena” is one of Team Rubicon’s cultural principles listed on the walls at the National Office in Los Angeles.
I’ll never forget that 2013 summer day in Evanston, IL. I was pacing the hallway of our third floor apartment after concluding round three of phone interviews for a newly created position at Team Rubicon. I paced in silence, too fired up to speak. My wife heard the call end and came to ask me how it went. I snapped out of my daze and answered her with the question, “If this goes well and they make me an offer, are you in?” She replied with confidence, “I’m in.”
Weeks later, we were hosting family and friends at the Historic Charles Dawes House for a going away party. My family was packed and ready to journey from Chicago to Los Angeles to join the team and help further the mission.
Jason Ferguson (far left) deployed on his first operation with Team Rubicon in the fall of 2013 – Op What The Flood in Colorado.
We’re now approaching the 3-year mark of being in the arena, we’re headed to Dallas, TX to support the Training Shop from the National Operations Center, and we love it. Our children see the TR logo and recognize it, not as the company where daddy works, but as an extension of who we actually are as a family – a family that seeks to love and serve others.
Reflecting on my story causes me to ponder the seen and unseen layers of support involved in executing Team Rubicon’s mission. I recognize that for every Greyshirt who answers the call on the ground, there are clusters of loved ones cheering them on. From training events to service projects to disaster responses, they say with encouraging words, selfless deeds, and generous financial gifts, “I’m in.”
With the support of his family at home and others across TR Nation, Jason serves as the Deputy Director of Training at Team Rubicon’s National Operation Center in Dallas.
I salute all the spouses, significant others, children, and loved ones out there who recognize the importance of Team Rubicon’s dual mission and join us in the arena in their own unique way. Thank you!
Step Into The Arena
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. -Jim Collins”
