The Ride of a Lifetime - Robert Iger

The Ride of a Lifetime

By Robert Iger

  • Release Date: 2019-09-23
  • Genre: Management & Leadership
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,819 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A memoir of leadership and success: The CEO of Disney shares the ideas and values he embraced while reinventing one of the world’s most beloved companies and inspiring the people who bring the magic to life.

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Competition was more intense than ever and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company’s history. His vision came down to three clear ideas: Recommit to the concept that quality matters, embrace technology instead of fighting it, and think bigger—think global—and turn Disney into a stronger brand in international markets.

Today, Disney is the largest, most admired media company in the world, counting Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox among its properties. Under Iger’s leadership, Disney’s value grew nearly five times what it was, making Iger one of the most innovating and successful CEOs of our era.

In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger shares the lessons he learned while running Disney and leading its 220,000-plus employees, and he explores the principles that are necessary for true leadership, including:

Optimism. Even in the face of difficulty, an optimistic leader will find the path toward the best possible outcome and focus on that, rather than give in to pessimism and blaming.
Courage. Leaders have to be willing to take risks and place big bets. Fear of failure destroys creativity.
Decisiveness. All decisions, no matter how difficult, can be made on a timely basis. Indecisiveness is both wasteful and destructive to morale.
Fairness. Treat people decently, with empathy, and be accessible to them.

This book is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger since the day he started as the lowliest studio grunt 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 Star Wars mythology.
 
“The ideas in this book strike me as universal” Iger writes. “Not just to the aspiring CEOs of the world, but to anyone wanting to feel less fearful, more confidently themselves, as they navigate their professional and even personal lives.”

Reviews

  • A must read.

    5
    By Chris Jannenga
    I’ve been trying to meet a goal of 1 book per month this year after not reading for quite some time. This is the first book that drew me in and I read the entire thing in just over a week. I could not put it down. The lessons were amazing and I will certainly carry them through the rest of my career.
  • Loved this book

    5
    By iNexxFear
    Great book, easy and insightful read and am amazing story about Bob’s life. It goes to show how and why Disney ran so well under his time. Feel it would be a good read for anyone wanting to have a business focused mind in their future or career
  • Great book

    5
    By rileymcj
    A good leader and positive teacher.
  • Amazing story

    5
    By Sbluman
    Great book
  • encouraging story

    5
    By CreekNine
    what a wonderful story about leadership and an insight into the characteristics of a successful and decent executive
  • Spectacular book!

    5
    By That dude sally
    This was one of the best memoirs I ever read. Bob was very candid about his experience as a CEO and his career before then which made for a very inspiring and informative book. I feel as if I have profound insight on the way he has been able to succeed all these years. Also loved learning about Steve Jobs from his perspective!
  • Interesting career ride and advice

    3
    By Reisman76
    The majority of this book is very interesting and enjoyable to read. I especially enjoyed reading about Bob’s relationship with Steve Jobs. I rated this book three stars because the final chapters seemed rushed and are nothing more than deals and negotiations. I found them boring and it tainted my overall opinion of the book.
  • Excellent book, extremely engaging

    5
    By Muthirk
    I really enjoyed how Robert Iger wrote his book. He intertwined leadership lessons with story telling illustrating how & when they make sense, great book & a must read!
  • Great

    5
    By Readder12345
    Very nice reading!
  • Generic, with some good stories

    3
    By Antivanilla
    The overall book is solidly generic in its ‘leadership lessons’ (essentially - work hard, be a good person, etc). There are some interesting behind-the-scenes stories on the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, etc at least.

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