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

by Robert Iger

Hardcover, 2019

Status

Available

Call number

658.4092

Tags

Publication

Random House (2019), Edition: Illustrated, 272 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Business. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� A memoir of leadership and success: The CEO of Disney, Time�??s 2019 businessperson of the year, 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. ONE OF NPR�??S BEST BOOKS 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 navig… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member breic
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
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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 to purchase other big media companies (Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Bamtech, Fox, …) and nothing about how he worked on what Disney already had. His main goal seems to be to make Disney as big as is legally possible, with no thought as to what this means. Besides negotiating takeovers, he also negotiates his compensation packages, but here he is very diplomatic—no details. Of course not.

I don't know if Iger himself is one-dimensional, or if he just seems like it from this whitewashed, ghostwritten "memoir."

> Firing people, or taking responsibility away from them, is arguably the most difficult thing you have to do as a boss.
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LibraryThing member Carmenere
I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s memoir concerning his tenure at ABC’s Wild World of Sports, then ABC entertainment, the merger with Disney followed by Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, Marvel and Lucas films just to name a few. It provided an inside look at the mechanics of the industry and
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the art of negotiation.
Mr. Iger also includes insightful leadership qualities a business person might adopt.
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LibraryThing member zhoud2005
An interesting look from the perspective of a top level CEO.

Awards

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

272 p.; 9.54 inches

ISBN

0399592091 / 9780399592096
Page: 0.1155 seconds