Q&A With Andrew J. Sherman of Jones Day

Andrew J. Sherman, partner at Jones Day lawfirm, seasoned legal and strategic advisor as well as educator, spoke with WashingtonExec about his variety of professional interests.

What does Sherman attribute his success to? He loves what he does. From small businesses to multinational corporations, Sherman has become a sought after legal advisor. Sherman also names some basic benchmarks found in the most successful corporations. Despite a long, sector-crossing career, Sherman has no plans of slowing down. “The United States has a great future ahead, but only if we will pull together to proactively make it so,” said Sherman.

Sherman’s latest book, Harvesting Intangible Assets: Uncovering Hidden Revenue in Your Company’s Intellectual Property can be found here.

WashingtonExec:  You have advised companies around the world, written over 20 books, teach at two great regional universities – where do you get the energy?

Andrew J. Sherman: I truly love what I do.  As I discuss in Road Rules (www.bethetruck.com), if you have a genuine passion for what you do, then you will never really consider it work.  Passion drives achievement and achievement begins to build on itself.  I am an educator at heart and it really doesn’t matter to me whether I am teaching others in a boardroom, a classroom, a podium, on a kindle or on the web as long as I am adding value to companies and the lives of others.

WashingtonExec:  You have been at Jones Day for two and one-half years.  How are things going and how does it compare with your previous firms?

Andrew J. Sherman: I have had the honor of being at some truly great law firms over my career, but I have been happiest here at Jones Day.  Our culture, our commitment to teamwork and collegiality, our constant pursuit of client service excellence and our global footprint have really helped me develop my practice and be an effective resources to my partners and our clients.  It is an unique place with incredible leadership and an unwavering commitment to collegiality.

WashingtonExec:  You have been a legal and strategic adviser to some of the world’s most successful companies.  What insights can you share from inside the walls of these organizations?

Andrew J. Sherman: Every client that I have ever worked with that has achieved success have had certain common traits:  (a) leadership – people perform when they trust their leaders and governance is all about establishing and enforcing a set of clearly communicated core values; (b) direction – as the Cheshire Cat advised Alice, “if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there.”  Successful companies have a game plan, are focused on execution and know how and when to adjust the game plan when the economy or life throw you a curve ball; and (c) shared values – companies like IBM, Google, Wal-Mart and 3M have a set of value which are truly shares and embraced by their thousands of employees worldwide, regardless of division, location or where you sit on the organizational chart.  People act with integrity and are treated with respect.  Performance is rewarded and complacency is not tolerated.

WashingtonExec:  You turn 50 this fall; from a career perspective are entering the fourth quarter of the game.  What can we expect to see over the next ten (10) to twelve (12) years?

Andrew J. Sherman: Start strong, finish-strong.  The next 10 to 12 years of my career will continue to focus on education in many forms and to be the most value-driven advisor and legal and strategic resource to my clients.  As the economy has become truly global, Jones Day continues to add offices and strengthen the breadth and depth of existing offices.  I am excited and honored to be part of this next chapter of our firm’s growth.

WashingtonExec:  Any new books on the horizon?  Any parting insights for our readers?

Andrew J. Sherman:  We are an incredible nation of business and entrepreneurial leaders.  We need to better harvest our innovation, our pride, our frontier spirit and our grit and determination.  The United States has a great future ahead, but only if we will pull together to proactively make it so.