The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons in Creative Leadership from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company: Lessons in Creative Leadership from the CEO of the Walt Disney CompanyPaperback– 23 September 2019
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The Ride of a Lifetime is an entertaining example of a business memoir whose author does not pretend to be a superhero. Iger's book works as an argument for the importance of emotional intelligence in business. * New Statesman * Nurturing creativity is less a skill than an art-especially at a company where the brand alone is synonymous with creativity. That's a lot to live up to. Bob Iger has not only lived up to ninety-six years of groundbreaking history but has moved the Disney brand far beyond anyone's expectations, and he has done it with grace and audacity. This book shows you how that's happened. * Stephen Spielberg * Iger's tenure as the leader of the world's most lucrative dream factory has been one long CEO highlight reel. Iger is unassailable. He's transformed his company from a stuffy media doyen into a sexy cultural force. * TIME - Businessperson of the Year 2019 * The story of life at the top of Disney is a thoughtful tale of surviving disruption. * Financial Times * One of the best business books I've read in years. Unlike most books on leadership, this one is worth your time. * Bill Gates *
About the Author
Robert Iger is chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as president and CEO, beginning in October 2005, and was president and COO from 2000 to 2005. Iger began his career at ABC in 1974, and as chairman of the ABC Group he oversaw the broadcast television network and station group and cable telvision properties, and guided the merger between Capital Cities/ABC and the Walt Disney Company. Iger officially joined the Disney senior management team in 1996 as chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group and in 1999 was given the additional responsibility of president, Walt Disney International. In that role, Iger expanded Disney's presence outside of the United States, establishing the blueprint for the company's international growth today.
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In my opinion, it's one of the best business books so far. Rob Iger has worked for the same company for 45 years: 22 years at ABC, 23 years at Disney (after Disney acquired ABC in 1995), and he was the 6th CEO of Walt Disney for 15 years. During the time he was CEO, he focused on 3 main priorities: 1) High quality branded content; 2) Embrace technology to the fullest extent (including launching Disney+, direct to consumer); 3) To become a truly global company. And during his tenure, he has led successful acquisition including Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm (Star Wars), 21st Century Fox. Rob is humble and he offers many valuable leadership lessons. One of the nice quote of his: "Value ability more than experience, and put people in roles that require more of them than they know they have in them." It's a great read!
5.0 out of 5 starsA magical insight into leadership
24 September 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
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This book is surprisingly candid from the CEO of one of the world's most admired companies. I enjoyed that the book does not preach Bob's lessons, but rather uses clear examples to demonstrate how rational and emotional decision-making should be balanced. As a young professional, I admire the longevity of Bob's career, and this book offered multiple inspirational learnings that I will lean on for years to come.
5.0 out of 5 starsThe second-half of the book is business school GOLD
29 September 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
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While I read the book cover-to-cover in two sittings, the second-half of Bob Iger's pseudo-memoir is amazing and incredibly fast and entertaining - picking up after he succeeded Michael Eisner. Iger details the sequences of events in acquiring Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, and putting together the digital distribution strategy behind ESPN+/Disney+. Really worth the read about the trials and tribulations of deal-making at a massive Fortune 500 multinational corporation.
5.0 out of 5 starsI Got More Than I Bargained For In A Positive Way With the Purchase of this Book
26 September 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
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I admit that I am both logically and intuitively aware that I am completely and very much outside the target audience for this kindlebook that is The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Years As CEO Of The Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger especially since I’m aware that it is outside my career destiny to work for Disney. Still, after being exposed to multiple insightful details in this book I realize that one of the multiple reasons I was inspired to look at this kindlebook is for me to help the ambitious side of my spirit /soul understand at least some ideas on what it means to take bolder andor strategically andor wisely calculated career risks/moves. I am still in the process of increasing my boldness and courage. However, reading about the author’s journey on how he balanced courage and self- confidence while taking professional moves that had beneficial long term career results helped increase my knowledge on some ideas to keep in mind to experience career evolution with longevity while still experiencing a sense of adventure to evolve professionally. There are a multiple number of factors that made this kindlebook purchase very much worth it for me (disclosure: I am fortunate to have pre-ordered this kindlebook with money made from my current job around August 19, 2019). Some of the multiple compelling features of the kindlebook; how the author got involved with the Pixar deal and his friendship with the late Steve Jobs, his career milestones with Marvel, the author’s side of the story on Lucasfilm and his connection with the original author of the Star Wars trilogies, brief snippets of some of his political viewpoints, multiple pictures of the author with his wife including a colorful photo image of the author with his wife who is wearing a Yoda dress, and much more.
2.0 out of 5 starsGeneral Management Advice Interwoven in an Interesting Life Story
17 October 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
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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 frmo, 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 in a 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 set them apart 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, but at a high bird's-eye level, rather than 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. 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 XX 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.
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, 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 they so complicated and emotional. As a result, it was hard to grasp the nature of the inner conflict, and feel the storyteller's emotion. The book had 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 also hard to relate to people when they haven't received the introduction they deserve, but more than anything, I wanted to feel more emotion rather than a cool "this happened, then that happened" or "that was difficult, but after months of work, we persevered" type of narrative.
