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5Q: McCarthy Tetrault's extreme team-building challenge

The McCarthy Tetrault running team is pictured in a handout photo.

On paper, it looks like a string of meaningless numbers: 29 lawyers, 75 hours, 650 kilometres and $58,000.

But add them up and you've got a once-in-a-lifetime experience that those involved say has radically changed the way they think about themselves, their colleagues and the way they interact.

It all started with an ambitious team-building exercise dreamed up by the legal minds at McCarthy Tetrault's Montreal office.

Forget the standard 10-km race or bike ride that is popular among corporate fundraisers and goal-setting exercises. On a snowy January evening, 29 lawyers, from rookie articling students to veteran senior partners, came out to take part in the first run of what would prove to be a grueling, months-long training schedule in preparation for an epic 650-km relay race spanning two provinces.

“Some people thought initially it was a crazy idea,” admits Eric Gosselin, 45, and a practice lead for the business law group in the Quebec region. Crazier still? Many who signed up, including Gosselin, had never run before.

Yet, early Friday morning on June 13, the group set off from the McCarthy Tetrault Montreal office as their colleagues cheered them on. Each team member ran in established pace groups, running repeated legs between nine and 14 kilometres over 75 hours.

When they weren't running, they were sleeping, eating and taking turns driving one of the RVs that trailed behind and acted as a mobile headquarters.

An exhausted, but elated team concluded the relay early Monday morning when they arrived at McCarthy Tétrault’s Toronto office.

Surely there are easier ways to build a team? We caught up with Gosselin and Jerome Turcotte Routhier, 28, and a second-year associate in the Montreal office, to find out what possessed them to take part in such an intense challenge, and how completing the relay has impacted their relationship with their colleagues, clients and company.

Let’s start at the very beginning. Where did the idea for the relay come from?

Eric: It started with a discussion with some of our colleagues. Some people thought initially it was a crazy idea doing something like that, but I would say that the main goal was really to undertake a significant challenge and build team work, bringing together lawyers from different departments and different levels of seniority.

Were either of you runners before this?

Jerome: I was not a runner before starting this. I ran just for fun, but I never trained for running-specific purposes.  

Eric: No, save and except for one or two-kilometres once or twice every summer just for fun.  

What was the most difficult part of the experience?

Jerome: One of the big challenges that we had to face was just the lack of sleep.  We were divided into running groups. Each running group would go at a certain pace and keep that pace for the whole challenge and so once you stopped running, you would go into the RV convoy that followed us and try and wash yourself with wet wipes because there are no showers. You would stretch and eat a little, drive (the RV) for a couple of hours and then try and sleep for a couple of hours. When you wake up, you start stretching and then you go for another run. That repeated itself eight or nine times.

How long were each of the stretches you were running?

Jerome: It was between nine and 14 kilometres.

How long between each stretch would you have to eat, sleep, drive and prepare yourself again?

Jerome: Around six to seven hours. You have a good amount of time. It’s just that doing it once is not that difficult. It is just doing it over and over again.

Eric: On average, each runner ran between 90 and 120 kilometers within the 75 hours.

How did that unity manifest itself? Was it a matter of cheering each other up when there were tears or blisters? Or was it a matter of putting a hand on someone’s shoulder and saying, "You can do it?"

Eric:  It was a mix of everything you just mentioned. Putting a hand on the back of someone who needs help to climb a hill makes a difference, especially after three or four legs of the relay when you feel the pain in your legs and it is becoming more and more difficult to complete the run. Also, within the RV, some people at some point were wondering if at some point they should quit. Being there and encouraging people to continue was also part of the recipe for success here.

Did either one of you think about quitting?

Eric:  No, but on more than one occasion I thought it was very, very tough.

Let’s talk about the team-work aspect. I don't think most people consider lawyers to be very team-oriented. The public perception is of colleagues who are very competitive with each other. This event doesn't quite fit with that image. Am I wrong?

Eric: You are right. That is the perception, but for our firm, teamwork is really a fundamental value. We apply that on a day to day reality in the way we work on files and the way we work with our clients. But having this challenge was really an opportunity to see teamwork in a different setting and also it was a great opportunity for each of us to work with some of our colleagues who we wouldn’t necessarily work with on a regular basis.

There is also this enduring idea that law firms are stuffy and old-fashioned, with little room for flexibility or creativity. Do you think this run challenges that notion, or brings a fresh approach to how we might view the legal industry?

Eric:  If this could be the consequence of the run that we put together, I would be more than happy. It would be a great result. But that was not an objective. That was not a goal.

Jerome: I think the reality is increasingly different from the old perception. Obviously the perception is still there, especially outside the legal community, but I think a challenge like this may help change that. But it is only one event. I think there are many more examples that can change that perception.

How important was it to have a diversity of people -- in age, gender, legal experience -- involved in the relay?

Eric: All the demographics were present. There was one articling student and two runners over 60 years old. All the firm's practice groups were present. Gender, obviously, was not an issue. And the beauty of all that is that it was really on a voluntary basis. We offered the opportunity and we didn’t know who would raise their hands.  

Jerome: One of the key or fun aspects of all this was that, as a young lawyer, you are, most of the time, in the position of learning. I work a lot with Eric. Eric teaches a lot and spends a lot of time teaching me how to work on files and how to work with clients effectively, but being in a position where I had a little experience with intense training, it was great to have a reversal of roles.  Sometimes, going up a hill, I could give a little push to Eric in the back and give him a couple of tricks on running. To have that reversal of roles where I am in a position where I am a little more comfortable, was different than our usual relationship where I am the one learning and Eric is the one giving me the push on the back.

Overall, how do you measure the success of this kind of a team-building exercise?

Eric: I think the impact is having a group that is stronger, a relationship that is at another level. The other thing also is the pride that came out of the challenge was not only felt by the runners, but also the volunteers and colleagues. When we left Montreal on the Friday morning, there was a very, very good number of the office personal who were present and were cheering for us. About 40 of them ran with us for the first 10 kilometres. We also had the same thing in Toronto where there was about 35 of our colleagues who joined us in running the last 10 km. When we arrived at our building in Toronto, there were more than 250 people waiting for us and cheering for us. It was an overwhelming show of support.

Tell me a bit about the organization you were fundraising for. Why did this matter to you and your company?

Jerome: As you mentioned, lawyers are very competitive and goal driven. So it was great to have some sort of objective other than just the run. I think people responded mostly because the organization was great. Its called Pour 3 Points -- it makes reference to a three-point shot at basketball. It's a Montreal based not-for-profit created a couple of years ago by an ex-lawyer. The funds collected ($58,000) are going to be used for a new program that is going to help sports coaches teach life skills to young athletes in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods.  

It strikes me that you could have picked an easier challenge if you wanted to build your team. Why go to this extreme?

Eric:  It could be seen as extreme, but I think it gives all the meaning to the word ‘challenge`. You’re right to say that we could have picked an easier challenge, but we thought and we proved that it was feasible. Initially it was thought we would run 80 km each, but it ended up when the final path was designed the average was between 90 and 120 km per runner.

The big question is, would you do it again?

Eric: I know physically I can do it. We have done it. But it takes a lot on the human side, not just the physical side. One thing is for certain, though, I will encourage everyone to participate if we do have another challenge next year. It is something unique to have once in your life.

Personally, what will you take away from this experience?

Jerome: We can accomplish so much more as a team. You kind of always knew it from a theoretical perspective that it is better to work as a team, but it really makes sense when you see it from this perspective. And it is always good to remind yourself that it is fun to dig deep and really challenge yourself from a physical point of view.

Eric: For me, I never thought of myself as a runner, and my friends and family members still have difficulty to realize that I did such a challenge. I strongly believe it would not have been feasible without the teamwork aspect that is part of this challenge. It would not have been possible for someone like me to just decide in January that I would do such a challenge. It was throughout the process, each of those weekly training sessions, that, rapidly you understand that you need the support of everyone to make it happen.