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The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Robert Iger,

Joel Lovell

4.41 · Rating details · 40,782 ratings · 3,368 reviews

A grand vision defined: The CEO of The Walt Disney Company shares the ideas and values he has used to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

In 2005, Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company during a difficult time. Morale had deteriorated, competition was more intense, and technology was changin A grand vision defined: The CEO of The Walt Disney Company shares the ideas and values he has used to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

In 2005, Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company during a difficult time. Morale had deteriorated, competition was more intense, and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company's history. "I knew there was nothing to be gained from arguing over the past," Iger writes. "The only thing that mattered was the future, and I believed I had a clear idea of the direction Disney needed to go." It came down to three clear ideas: 1) Create the highest quality content Disney could produce. 2) Embrace and adopt technology instead of fighting it. And 3) Think bigger--think global--and turn Disney into a stronger brand in international markets.

Twelve years later, Disney is the largest, most respected media company in the world counting Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox among its properties. Its value is nearly five times what it was when Iger took over, and Iger is recognized as one of the most innovative and successful CEOs of our time.

Now, he's sharing the lessons he's learned while running Disney and leading its 200,000 employees--taking big risks in the face of historic disruption; learning to inspire the people who work for you; leading with fairness and communicating principles clearly. This book is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger for forty-five years, since the day he started as a studio supervisor at ABC. It's also about thoughtfulness and respect, and a decency-over-dollars approach that has become the bedrock of every project and partnership Iger pursues, from a deep friendship with Steve Jobs in his final years to an abiding love of the evolving Star Wars myth.

"Over the past fourteen years, I think I've learned so much about what real leadership is," Iger writes. "But I couldn't have articulated all of this until I lived it. You can't fake it--and that's one of the key lessons in this book."

Librarian Note: This edition was previously released, with a different cover image, as an Advance Reader Copy with ISBN 9780399592096. That ARC can be found here ...more

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Hardcover, Illustrated Edition, 272 pages

Published September 23rd 2019 by Random House (first published January 2019)

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Jan 24, 2020 Kobe Bryant rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: big-ideas

I’m a huge admirer of Disney as an organization, and it was fascinating to follow Iger’s career there and [learn] how he shaped the company. There are countless lessons in this book, and it’s an excellent resource on leadership and problem-solving.”

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Jun 16, 2020 Ali Abdaal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

- Can't recommend this highly enough
- Listened to this at 2.6x on Audible. Finished it in 2 days. 10/10. Made me tear up in many parts.
- Probably would've gotten a little more from it if I were American and older, and therefore would've been familiar with ABC shows etc.
A few highlights:
- Wakes up at 0415
- Good enough isn't good enough
- If you want innovation, you can't be afraid of failure
- 'The way they conveyed their faith in me made all the difference'
- Great is often the result of the ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 John Katsanakis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed how candid Iger chose to be here. Not a lot of sugarcoating at all. The narratives of the Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm acquisitions were all fascinating.

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Nov 02, 2019 Vaidotas Juknys rated it liked it · review of another edition

Interesting but somewhat shallow read.

This book is an autobiographical victory lap Iger wrote about his career. He frames the book as a set of leadership lessons with the focus of the book being his work at Disney. He has many useful lessons to offer but the most fascinating parts of the book deals with how he managed to secure the big acquisitions made by Disney (Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm & Fox).

However, I found the book be underwhelming on a more personal side. For an autobiography there seems ...more

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Oct 11, 2019 Avneesh Mehta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Part business lessons, part personal journey, and part the rise of today's dominant entertainment empire, this book is endlessly fascinating and consistently engaging. Chapters such as the acquisition of Pixar are written with the sort of nail-biting edge of your seat intensity that would make thrillers envious. Who knew board room meetings and phone calls could be so exciting? I think Bob Iger struck the perfect balance of personal and professional. A genuinely interesting and surprising person ...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Ross Blocher rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Bob Iger is the CEO of Disney and the kind of person who shows up on lists like Time's Most Influential and Forbes's Most Powerful People (at #49). He's been at the company for 45 years, CEO since 2005, postponed retirement a couple times, and now commands a $65.7 million salary (he's #9 on that particular list). This is his first, much anticipated book, authored as the more formal "Robert Iger". I was interested in reading it for a number of reasons: I happen to work at Disney, and Iger's decis ...more

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Feb 19, 2020 Whitney rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Overall: This book is amazing! An incredible true story of Bob Iger's career and journey to his current role as CEO of Disney. Not the typical leadership book I expected but an amazing story of perseverance, passion, focus, forward thinking, and drive. So inspiring and well written, and he narrates the audiobook himself. Highly recommend this to all, it is an incredible story and will leave you inspired in more than one way.

“True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and no Overall: This book is amazing! An incredible true story of Bob Iger's career and journey to his current role as CEO of Disney. Not the typical leadership book I expected but an amazing story of perseverance, passion, focus, forward thinking, and drive. So inspiring and well written, and he narrates the audiobook himself. Highly recommend this to all, it is an incredible story and will leave you inspired in more than one way.

“True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else.”

“Optimism. One of the most important qualities of a good leader is optimism, a pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved. Even in the face of difficult choices and less than ideal outcomes, an optimistic leader does not yield to pessimism. Simply put, people are not motivated or energized by pessimists.”

“Ask the questions you need to ask, admit without apology what you don’t understand, and do the work to learn what you need to learn as quickly as you can.”

“And I tend to approach bad news as a problem that can be worked through and solved, something I have control over rather than something happening to me.”

“Don’t be in the business of playing it safe. Be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.”

“At its essence, good leadership isn’t about being indispensable; it’s about helping others be prepared to possibly step into your shoes—giving them access to your own decision making, identifying the skills they need to develop and helping them improve, and, as I’ve had to do, sometimes being honest with them about why they’re not ready for the next step up.”

“I learned from them that genuine decency and professional competitiveness weren't mutually exclusive. In fact, true integrity, a sense of knowing who you are and being guided by your own clear sense of right and wrong is a kind of secret weapon. They trusted in their own instincts. They treated people with respect. And over time, the company came to represent the values they live by.”

“Don’t start negatively, and don’t start small. People will often focus on little details as a way of masking a lack of any clear, coherent, big thoughts. If you start petty, you seem petty.”

“If you approach and engage people with respect and empathy, the seemingly impossible can become real.” ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Truman32 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As hard to believe as it is, there are many aspects of my life I could probably improve upon. To name just a few: I eat way too many pies. The pies I eat do not contain enough fruits or vegetables. Many folks are shocked at the overabundance of whipped cream topping my pies. And often times I will eat my pie extremely quick (sometimes even without breathing) so I do not have to share pie with my family or close friends. But like most people I see the New Year as a chance to start over and correc As hard to believe as it is, there are many aspects of my life I could probably improve upon. To name just a few: I eat way too many pies. The pies I eat do not contain enough fruits or vegetables. Many folks are shocked at the overabundance of whipped cream topping my pies. And often times I will eat my pie extremely quick (sometimes even without breathing) so I do not have to share pie with my family or close friends. But like most people I see the New Year as a chance to start over and correct some of these deficiencies. So I have been reading a bunch of improvement books. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger uses the candid life experiences of this incredibly successful head honcho to show what I need to do to improve my life.
Ride of a Lifetime reads more like a memoir than an actual self-improvement book. It is a quick interesting read if you take it on this level. Those looking for little nuggets or gems on bettering their lives will be disappointed as all of his advice seems to relate to corporate big-shots succeeding by acquiring successful companies. Iger shows me that if I want to get better all I really need to do is spend a few hundred million dollars and buy Pixar. Or if that is not the strategy for me, I can always spend a few million dollars and buy Marvel. Heck, while I’m at it I can just spend a few hundred million dollars and also buy Fox. I mean I like The Simpsons. Don’t I?
So if you are a regular shmoe without hundreds of millions of dollars laying around to buy up hugely successful and innovative companies as you construct the mother of all monster conglomerates then there is not a whole lot of practical advice here. Reading about Iger’s devious plans to seize every beloved creation from R2D2 to the Hulk to that old guy who sounds like Ed Asner and ties balloons all over his house, forcing all mortals to their knees to bow before the twisted evilness of his mouse-eared greatness shouting, “here take my money, take all my money” is a gripping story. It is enjoyable, especially when eating pie.
...more

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May 23, 2020 posthuman rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, business

The Ride of a Lifetime is an inspiring and optimistic yet largely colorless account of Bob Iger's 45-year career in television and media. Disclosure: Bob was my boss's boss for several years, and it was probably a lot more entertaining to read due to personal memories of some of the office politics.

A potentially fascinating subject for this sort of book, perhaps the greatest entertainment industry leader of our time, shares insight into how he tackled impossible challenges coming up in the busi The Ride of a Lifetime is an inspiring and optimistic yet largely colorless account of Bob Iger's 45-year career in television and media. Disclosure: Bob was my boss's boss for several years, and it was probably a lot more entertaining to read due to personal memories of some of the office politics.

A potentially fascinating subject for this sort of book, perhaps the greatest entertainment industry leader of our time, shares insight into how he tackled impossible challenges coming up in the business. In the course of reading it, however, it felt like he glossed over a lot of the character flaws and personal demons that make a good memoir great.

The book opens with an electrifying account of a 24-hour period in which Iger kept multiple balls in the air dealing with Chinese officials and all the complex moving pieces of launching Shanghai Disneyland, while simultaneously responding to the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando where Disney cast members counted among the victims. Just before the ribbon cutting ceremony in Shanghai, he learns Disneyland House of Blues was the terrorist's original target. Then he is told an alligator has killed a 2 year-old boy at the park in Florida and immediately reaches out to the parents.

He compartmentalizes in order to deal with these simultaneous dilemmas, and this habit of compartmentalization might have made for a much more interesting lens through which to view his personal and career setbacks. Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't explore any of this, nor does it live up to the frenetic pacing of the opening chapter. It's a largely aseptic narrative that reads like his publicist and his lawyer went over everything with a fine-toothed comb.

Of course Bob Iger is no Walter Isaacson, but there are a number of riveting, raw business memoirs like Horowitz's The Hard Thing About Hard Things that dare to expose some of the author's worst shortcomings and as a result feel more authentic and exhilarating. I found it a delightful read, but perhaps this has more to do with knowing some of the people described and having been present at some of the events.

Running any large organization is an imperfect, messy endeavor and The Walt Disney Company is no exception. Iger's account is far too neat and tidy. There is a lack of personal crises depicted here and to make matters worse, the prose is watery and limp. I doubt The Ride of a Lifetime would be a particularly enjoyable read for most unless the author's lessons have some relevance to your own experiences. ...more

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Oct 07, 2019 Noah rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was really hoping for more insights into how Disney was run and his leadership style. Was a light version of both. Some cool stories about buying Pixar but would have preferred way more details.

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Oct 16, 2019 Hots Hartley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The leadership components of this life story are enlightening and applicable.

But what I picked up this book to learn was in-depth insight into managing the creative process, negotiating difficult personalities, and creating a unique creative culture at Disney and subsumed companies. Although the book told a coherent, clear storyline with interesting vignettes, it ultimately glossed over key moments in the general sense, rather than diving deep and mining their emotions. Some examples:

1.) Charac The leadership components of this life story are enlightening and applicable.

But what I picked up this book to learn was in-depth insight into managing the creative process, negotiating difficult personalities, and creating a unique creative culture at Disney and subsumed companies. Although the book told a coherent, clear storyline with interesting vignettes, it ultimately glossed over key moments in the general sense, rather than diving deep and mining their emotions. Some examples:

1.) Characters -- A story involves interesting personalities and the dynamics between them. Some of them -- like Steve Jobs -- required no introduction, but others did, and they often popped into Bob Iger's story without the proper introduction or backstory. He spends a lot of time on his father, and later his most successful hires, like Alan Horn, but I wanted to know more about his wife, his closest colleagues, John Lasseter, and his relationship with Disney's lifeblood animators. Give them a name and a face for us! Where do they come from, and how did they influence you? The most emotional scene with the most well-painted character -- Roone -- touched me not because Roone was dying, but because of all they had been through together. Roone's relentless pursuit of perfection, and his extravagance in getting there, provided memorable scene after memorable scene, and it was because Bob described his character and their shared journey -- from the early day on-calls to the Olympics to the New Year's 2000 coverage -- so deeply, through so many moments. But then "highly confidential" dynamics like the John Lasseter relationship were handled within a single paragraph, with no insight into John's background or their shared experiences. I found myself mixing up all the Toms, Johns, and Michaels as the book went on, because their motivations, character quirks, and backgrounds hadn't distinguished them in my mind. Much of what has made Disney such a well-known brand in storytelling is its characters. I expected more complete characters.

2.) Depth -- Disney is, at its heart, a creative company. Their acquisitions, like Pixar and Marvel, are also creative companies. Show us more of the creative side! What makes their artists and animators tick, and how do you manage creative souls into a large corporate culture? The book goes into some of the challenges, especially early on with the ABC show ideas (Twin Peaks et al), but as the story continues, it increasingly takes a high bird's-eye view, rather than a deep-down look in the trenches with the creative minds. It captivated me discussing George Lucas' struggles with creative control, including meetings on the script, but many of the later events came from the media, like interviews, and few were dramatized in-scene, moment-by-moment conflict, as was so skillfully done in the Olympic coverage. How did Disney animators and creative teams handle the new IP? What were their storytelling strategies? What kinds of challenges cropped up? I don't want to hear that "fans loved it" or that Iron Giant 2 was grossing $75 million (or however much) at the box office; what's of interest is the blood, sweat, and tears that go into such a creative endeavor, and how Bob Iger managed a lot of talented egos, bridging the past to the future. What matters is the journey, not the result.

3.) Emotion -- The opening scene -- Disneyland Shanghai's opening and the Pulse shooting and alligator attack -- captivated me because of the difficult phone conversation the author describes, and how his wife supports him through that moment. The final conversation with Roone also elicited feeling, because of what the two had been through, and how close the author described their relationship. The rest of the book didn't deliver those moments on a consistent basis. Descriptions of potentially emotional moments were couched too much in generals and facts, like Steve's confidance of cancer being viewed through the lens of the impending deadline, counting down minutes to a public announcement, or John Lasseter's departure. They were described too much in the general sense, as difficult moments, without diving into the specifics of what made them so complicated and emotional for the individuals involved. As a result, it was hard to grasp the nature of the inner conflict, and feel the storyteller's emotion.

Make no mistake: The book had meaningful conflicts -- like shareholder votes and phone calls -- but they didn't generate as much emotional payoff in me because they didn't have the buildup, depth, or detail into what was motivating or driving each individual in the battle. It's hard to relate to people when they haven't received the introduction they deserve, but more than anything, I wanted to feel more emotion from happenings and events, rather than the cool, calm, collected recap: "This happened, then that happened" or the common "That was difficult, but after months of work, we persevered" type of narrative.

I enjoyed the story and devoured it quickly, but ultimately came away unsatisfied with how little I knew about the people involved, or their motivations. ...more

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Jun 03, 2020 Greta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

In 2016 Bob Iger was in China to open the Shanghai DisneyPark, supposedly one of the biggest accomplishments and happiest days in his career as CEO of Disney. Before the opening he got two calls:

The first one told him that Omar Mateen walked into the pulse night club in Orlando and started shooting. He killed 49 people and 53 were injured - among them Disney employees. The investigation showed that he was in preparation of attacking the Disney Complex.

The second one was about a two year old boy In 2016 Bob Iger was in China to open the Shanghai DisneyPark, supposedly one of the biggest accomplishments and happiest days in his career as CEO of Disney. Before the opening he got two calls:

The first one told him that Omar Mateen walked into the pulse night club in Orlando and started shooting. He killed 49 people and 53 were injured - among them Disney employees. The investigation showed that he was in preparation of attacking the Disney Complex.

The second one was about a two year old boy called Lane who was building a sand castle on the Disney Resort beach, when he was attacked by an alligator that grabbed his head. His mother and four years old sister had to watch the unsuccessful attempts of his father to free him, before the gator pulled Lane underwater and both disappeared into the sea. He died.

Personally I’m a big fan of biographies and memories and learn from everyone’s personal history. Still I wondered how and if a book that claims to have business lesson could possibly be helpful to me, since I’m not a CEO or in the process of becoming one. But fear not, it’s mostly the story of a man working his way up and sharing his values, which are important for all of us and our human interactions.

What I found particularly remarkable is how he worked himself up, from the lower middle class and having a mentally ill parent, over succeeding at ABC to ultimately becoming a CEO at Disney and earning around 66 million US-dollar a year.

I appreciated that he spoke really open about office politics, how he felt mistreated and how that effected his self awareness. Before becoming CEO at Disney he had to take colleges talking behind his back that he wasn’t good enough and similar causing him to develop anxiety attacks and lashing out at interviews. With his typical workaholic personality, getting up at 4am, working out 7 days a week and pushing to the limits every day while having children, I seriously don’t know how he managed that.

A decent part of the story is about the difficult relationship between Disney and Pixar that developed into a deep friendship between Iger and Jobs when Iger took over. I’ve read the biography of Steve Job by Walter Isaacson (recommendation btw.) and it was super nice to see the story from the opposite perspective and what impact it had. The digitalization and services like Netflix also had major impacts and forced adjustments of course.

What surprised me was that he started to think about running for the presidents office and became member of the “President’s Export Council” for economic guidance under Barack Obama in 2010. Maybe it’s because I’m from a different country, but that part irritates me about US-politics. Just as Trump proofs, economic billionaires obviously can easily become leaders of this country without raising questions of legal concerns like lobbying. On the other hand I can understand the similarities between leading a multi million company and a country.

What disappointed me, is that I didn’t learn more about Disney. I would have liked to learn more about his actual work, than office politics. Through the lines it becomes clear that he obviously decided sells and fusions but also investments in the parks (which buildings to build for example) and about every movie to be produced and approved. I would have wanted to get more details on that and learn more about the parks and maybe some stories related to them, like the entry stories I recited at the beginning of this review.

Unfortunately the magic of Disney is missing quite a bit but it’s still a very interesting story about a man working his way up and being responsible for this mega concern. ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Vlad rated it liked it · review of another edition

There’s a subtle lack of humility here that I found off-putting and that undermined my desire to admire this accomplished CEO. (1) Iger almost never talks about his reports or supporting team: 98% of the book is about his bosses, the board, and his acquisition targets. It’s as if he did it all himself. (2) Iger too frequently “punches down.” In the Eisner episode, Iger makes an interesting authorial choice: he includes a summary of the seven complaints that Roy Disney made about Eisner. This all ...more

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May 23, 2020 Ben rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, economics

I found this very dull. I understand why Bill Gates loves it. It is completely politically correct, often clichéd. So dry it is almost inhuman. Iger is probably somewhat aware of this, so he throws in as many Steve Jobs anecdotes as he can—which I think is also evidence of his creative insecurity. The business part of the story is also rather dull. While Iger has a huge ego, and thinks his leadership skills would make him a great US President, the only details we get are how he negotiates deals ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Laura Noggle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, nonfiction, business

Iger comes across as very down to earth with solid business acumen.

Still— such large corporate monopolies make me uneasy.

What will Disney buy next?

“Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.”

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Nov 21, 2019 BookOfCinz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: self-improvement, business, debut, real-life-sh-t, biography-and-autobios, loved, memoir, believe-the-hype, inspiring-and-motivating, 2019-reads

I finished reading Robert Iger’s “Ride of A Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Year as CEO of Walt Disney Company” two days ago and I am still blown away by the insights he shared and how much I have learned. If you are a CEO, Entrepreneur, Manager, in HR, part of a team or looking to learn about how you can advance in your current role, Robert Iger provides a roadmap and lessons that everyone can benefit from. As someone who loves learning about brands and how to tell a great brand story, gettin I finished reading Robert Iger’s “Ride of A Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Year as CEO of Walt Disney Company” two days ago and I am still blown away by the insights he shared and how much I have learned. If you are a CEO, Entrepreneur, Manager, in HR, part of a team or looking to learn about how you can advance in your current role, Robert Iger provides a roadmap and lessons that everyone can benefit from. As someone who loves learning about brands and how to tell a great brand story, getting a behind the scenes look into Walt Disney the brand was exhilarating.

Five key insights:

1. Robert Iger have worked for the same company for 45 years, he started out as a studio supervisor and is currently the 6th CEO to run the company since Walt founded it in 1923. Throughout the book Iger referenced how his career progressed and how we prepared himself for each opportunity that was presented to him. This really resonated with me because even though he was at a company for 45 years, he was able to show his growth, how he changed with the times and why he is and will continue to be an asset to Disney.

2. Iger made numerous mention of his Chief Communication Officer Zenia Mucha, he said “she always has the interests of the company at heart”. As someone who is in Marketing and Communications, hearing from the CEO of Walt Disney on how ways I can be more of an asset to an organization was impactful.

3. If you are in HR or will one day have the hard task of firing someone, Iger goes through step by step on how accomplish this difficult task.

4. Iger explores in-depth the principles that are necessary for true leadership, they included; Optimism, Courage, Focus, Decisiveness, Curiosity, Fairness, Thoughtfulness and Integrity. I admired the fact that curiosity made the list because one point really stuck with me was the need to innovate and in order to do this, you have to remain curious.

5. “Don’t be in the business of playing it safe. Be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.”

This is definitely a book I will be recommending and re-reading in the future, it is packed with key lessons that everyone can learn from. I highly suggest you add it to the list of books you read to help with your development.
...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Scott Rhee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: business, nonfiction, memoir, disney-stuff

While you can’t, rightfully, attribute any company’s success to the work of one person, the right type of person---a leader, versus just a manager or a chief executive---at the head of a company can make a huge difference.

The history of the 20th century is the history of business ascendant and the history of powerful businessmen and women: Coco Chanel, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey. These are just a few names at the top of a long list of people who have made a ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Mario Tomic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book contains a lot of key lessons for success. The first big lesson that stood out to me was the importance of developing relationships and how Bob Iger, over time, become one of the most respected and trusted CEOs. This was crucial for Disney's success as they were acquiring other companies. It's clear that Bob viewed acquiring companies through the lens of taking care of people that works at that company, respecting their work, and putting them in a position where they can succeed.

Anothe ...more

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Nov 08, 2020 Gheorghe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Lessons learned by Robert Iger.
Lessons shared by Robert Iger with generosity, optimism and decency.
Fostering risk taking and creativity, building a culture of trust, fuelling a deep and abiding curiosity are just few great examples of his inspiring lessons.

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Jun 08, 2020 Mohit Narang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Read becuse Bill Gates recommend this book for a bussiness book . I think it is not a bussiness book more likely memorial or experience book yah it haves great leadership Principle but only few bussiness principles (but that are great) . You also say this an autobiography of Robert Iger
If you like actual leadership principle that works in real world pick this book
& I read some 2 or 3 star review they expect this book contain Disney strategy actually it contains but people don't understand very ...more

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Sep 29, 2019 Ursula Johnson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, film-tv

A Positive, Life Affirming, Uplifting Read

This was a wonderful book about Robert Iger's amazing life, career and positive outlook. With so many CEOs who aren't always good people, good for their business or don't care for their employees, it is a breath of fresh air to hear from someone who is grounded in reality, treats people the way they should be treated, forward thinking and committed to quality and his customers. His insights to years at ABC are fascinating, horrifying, and give an insight A Positive, Life Affirming, Uplifting Read

This was a wonderful book about Robert Iger's amazing life, career and positive outlook. With so many CEOs who aren't always good people, good for their business or don't care for their employees, it is a breath of fresh air to hear from someone who is grounded in reality, treats people the way they should be treated, forward thinking and committed to quality and his customers. His insights to years at ABC are fascinating, horrifying, and give an insightful look at the evolution of a major network.

His Disney career was frought with challenges, but he rose above them and remained the better man. His visionary view of knowing that the stale model Disney operated under needed to be upended. Many criticized his choices, decisions and views, but they were proved spectacularly wrong. I loved the stories about Steve Jobs, the acquisition of Pixar and how things turned around. My favorite parts of the book were about Marvel and Star Wars, since I am a huge fan of both. The tremendous success of Marvel films lies in the fact the films are made by fans for fans and are high quality with strong stories, wonderful characters and excellent production. He mentions Black Panther as one of his personal favorite projects, not believing naysayers that claimed films about women and blacks would not do well. The incredible success of both films proved him right. Despite some Star Wars fans misgivings, I am grateful that Disney bought Lucasfilm and gave us new Star Wars content. New films, books and shows are being created and I have already signed up for Disney +. As I write this, it was just announced that Marvel's Kevin Fiege will be working on a Star Wars film. I can't wait for that, it Wil be epic!
Throughout the book, he shares his tips for successful business and management. A good portion is common sense, which is in short supply in many areas. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book. Mr. Iger reads two portions at the beginning and end of the book and is a wonderful narrator. The rest of the book is ably handled by Jim Frangione. A wonderful, positive life affirming, uplifting read. ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Pranjali rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I wish I could give it more than 5 stars
It is hands down the best book I read on leadership. Unlike every other book in the realm, it isn't prescriptive. You're going through the journey with Bob and understand why he believes in the things he does. The ups and downs of the journey gave me goosebumps and really drilled into my head those core principles that Bob lives by. I can't stop crushing on Iger after this book hahaha. Absolutely loved the book omg.

I also got a physical copy of it because ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Aaditya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Bob, I hope you read this someday. I love Disney. Many of the films made by Disney have made a deep impact in my life. I decided to read this book because I wanted to know what was happening in the background. Little did I know what ride I was in for. I cannot state all the things that I liked about this book because that will be too long. I just want to tell you that this book has given me a lot of satisfaction of some kind, and much-needed courage to handle difficulties in life. I am really gl ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 10-1-19-to-9-30-20

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There are numerous business lessons scattered throughout the book and a nice summary of Iger’s lessons in “lessons to life by” towards the end. Iger’s passion and intensity can be felt throughout the book and this guy is a real go-getter (he gets up at 4:30am each day to workout!). I was also amazed by his high level of empathy as a leader and how he has dealt with numerous difficult situations over the years. This is a good quick read/listen and I enjoyed it - if I were to pick at the book, you ...more

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May 12, 2020 Bharath S rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Bob Iger, the current CEO & Executive Chairman of Disney, has reflected back on his life and provided a portrait of his learnings as honestly as he can in this book. It's by far the finest memoirs I've read in years.

Iger reinvented Disney to its truest core, turned it into a true Global Company backed with the latest technology. Through his shrewd negotiation skills, he has successfully led acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Film & 20th Century Fox to turn Disney into a powerhouse organisatio ...more

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Nov 30, 2020 Monica Morenz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 Stars
Bob Iger delivers profound wisdom about his personal and professional success and offers great words to live by. A must read

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Aug 02, 2020 Justas Šaltinis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else."

"Ask the questions you need to ask, admit without apology what you don’t understand, and do the work to learn what you need to learn as quickly as you can."

"We all want to believe we are irreplaceable. The trick is to be self-aware enough that you don't cling to that notion that you are the only person who can do this job."

"You cannot win on the defensive. It's only about the future. It's no ...more

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Aug 25, 2020 Nikhil Saha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Some wonderful stories packed in with very crisp lessons on running a creative business- it's less gyaan and more storytelling- which makes for a fantastic read. ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Mico Go rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs-biographies, 2020-favorites, superthinking

From the outside, you assume that a brand with as much presence and history as Disney has been always at the top of their game, excelling and thriving. Yet, Iger’s retelling of the story since his getting on board in 2005 elaborate a much more challenged, and complex stance — making the success they’ve achieved nothing short of deserving.

I loved how Bob Iger candidly talked of the journey, and does not shy away from the nitty-gritty, with no sugarcoating even in the slightest; it was refreshingl ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Eric Lin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: business, current-nonfiction

Funny story - the day I finished this book, he announced he was stepping down. In yet another twist, he went back to running the company a few months later.

I enjoyed this a lot. I felt Iger was very honest about his work experience, which is rare to see from a CEO at the top of his game. Most are so interested in painting a flattering picture of their legacy. This didn't feel like the typical "after a lifetime of accomplishments, I'm going to write a book about those accomplishments as a trophy ...more

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“Optimism. One of the most important qualities of a good leader is optimism, a pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved. Even in the face of difficult choices and less than ideal outcomes, an optimistic leader does not yield to pessimism. Simply put, people are not motivated or energized by pessimists.” — 21 likes

“True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else.” — 19 likes

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