The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
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- Create Date：2021-05-08 08:53:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Iger
- ISBN：0399592091
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Summary
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
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
Reviews
Utsha Sarkar
，
Just an outstandingly superb read。 This is the best example of leadership lessons illustrated through one's own experiences。 Robert Igers entire journey from beginning to end has been nothing short of extraordinary and his lessons on leadership sprinkled across the pages are so real and inspiring。 The narration and story telling is so amazing that it seems like you're actually reading a fiction thriller novel。 This is one of the two best business autobiographies I have read so far and would reco Just an outstandingly superb read。 This is the best example of leadership lessons illustrated through one's own experiences。 Robert Igers entire journey from beginning to end has been nothing short of extraordinary and his lessons on leadership sprinkled across the pages are so real and inspiring。 The narration and story telling is so amazing that it seems like you're actually reading a fiction thriller novel。 This is one of the two best business autobiographies I have read so far and would recommend it to anyone interested in business/ leadership/ management。 。。。more
Riley Sheehan
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I couldn't set it down。 Candid （at least apparently）， riveting， insightful， entertaining， and rigorously anecdotal。 And devoid of the typical， wishy-washy， recycled leadership aphorisms。 I couldn't set it down。 Candid （at least apparently）， riveting， insightful， entertaining， and rigorously anecdotal。 And devoid of the typical， wishy-washy， recycled leadership aphorisms。 。。。more
Praveen Ramesh
，
Read this book over three days。 As someone who is not very well-versed with the entertainment space， this book was a fascinating read around one of the greatest entertainment CEOs of our time。 It was good to look into some of the major decisions through the eyes of a CEO。 We all keep thinking "how would this negotiation look like"， "what must have he been thinking through these times"， and Bob perfectly captures these emotions。 Personally， though， I felt he could have covered how he transformed Read this book over three days。 As someone who is not very well-versed with the entertainment space， this book was a fascinating read around one of the greatest entertainment CEOs of our time。 It was good to look into some of the major decisions through the eyes of a CEO。 We all keep thinking "how would this negotiation look like"， "what must have he been thinking through these times"， and Bob perfectly captures these emotions。 Personally， though， I felt he could have covered how he transformed a culture that was stagnant and very traditional。 But thoroughly enjoyed a few personal accounts of various incidents。 What I loved: - The portions describing his relationship with Steve Jobs- His morning routine， despite all the busy schedule he has。 - How "good enough is not goo enough"- Moonshots are only as big as you think- You innovate or you die。 Innovation is the only lever to dominate in a highly competitive landscape- Fear of failure is the #1 enemy to innovation。 - If you have to innovate you have to change the culture， process， and everything that will come in the way。 You cannot bring new innovation with age-old processes/mindset。 - Creating the same things for the same set of loyal customers is stagnation。 - Bet on people。 - No one wants to follow a pessimist-Loved the strenuous long process he had to go through to become a CEO。 Favorutie quote"It's important not to let blows to the ego （as real as they often are） from occupying too great space in your mind and sapping too much of your energy。 It's easy to be optimistic when everyone's telling you you're great。 It's a lot harder， and much more necessary when your sense of self is being challenged" 。。。more
Maggie Hess
，
As far as business and leadership books go， I was extremely impressed！ So many business books are shown through the vantage point of an entrepreneur which is great to read if you are an entrepreneur but I am never really able to relate to them。 Also， many business books are just mislabeled memoirs that dedicate tons of pages to their family struggles （if I wanted to read a romance， I’d read a romance！）。 This book did none of that and I loved it！ The book focused on business and the authors caree As far as business and leadership books go， I was extremely impressed！ So many business books are shown through the vantage point of an entrepreneur which is great to read if you are an entrepreneur but I am never really able to relate to them。 Also， many business books are just mislabeled memoirs that dedicate tons of pages to their family struggles （if I wanted to read a romance， I’d read a romance！）。 This book did none of that and I loved it！ The book focused on business and the authors career path。 It explained how he was able to jump from different positions， growing in his leadership abilities and overcoming challenges。 I also really enjoyed learning how he worked various enormous deals with different influential people （who knew he was BFFs with Steve Jobs！？） and how he approached each one differently but fairly。 There were so many important lessons that I learned and this book: - innovate before someone else does and puts you out of business- If you fail， take ownership and learn- If you do a deal， be straight forward from the beginning with your intentions and be prepared to walk away- give managers your trust and push them to perform so they can prove themselves out of pride， not fear- If you don’t take the chance， you’ll never get the chance - Don’t dwell on the small stuff and always look at the big picture “you may become the greatest trombone oil manufacturer in the world but in the end the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year” This is easily one of the best business books I’ve read in a while and would definitely recommend it！ 。。。more
Jason
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Very good biography candidly told， lots of lessons on leadership， strategy， office politics， company management
Amanda
，
Some good lessons， but disappointed in the lack of women mentioned other than the wives of the men in the story。
Brendan F
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Inspiring， exciting， and altogether enthralling account of Bob Iger’s tenure of CEO of The Walt Disney Company。 Iger spins the tale of his climb up the corporate ladder and turning Disney into the modern behemoth company that it is today。Mixing case studies of acquisitions， anecdotes of failure， and testimony of the need to innovate， Iger balances self-praise with lessons for those who are trying to stay afloat in changing industry landscapes。Absolutely one of the best memoirs I have read and hi Inspiring， exciting， and altogether enthralling account of Bob Iger’s tenure of CEO of The Walt Disney Company。 Iger spins the tale of his climb up the corporate ladder and turning Disney into the modern behemoth company that it is today。Mixing case studies of acquisitions， anecdotes of failure， and testimony of the need to innovate， Iger balances self-praise with lessons for those who are trying to stay afloat in changing industry landscapes。Absolutely one of the best memoirs I have read and highly recommend。 。。。more
Kuan
，
Valuable lifelessons， also applicable in everyday life， hospital， outside the corporate world
france
，
A tell-all memoir， a crash course on American media & entertainment history， a source of leadership lessons， a collection of revealing snippets about famed corporate “pricks” in Corporate America， （and a somewhat touching mini tribute for the late Steve Jobs）—this book strived to be all these at once， and it worked。 I started the Introduction in March and had to stop for some reason after。 Once I picked up where I left off， you best believe I couldn’t put it down。 I devoured every little detail A tell-all memoir， a crash course on American media & entertainment history， a source of leadership lessons， a collection of revealing snippets about famed corporate “pricks” in Corporate America， （and a somewhat touching mini tribute for the late Steve Jobs）—this book strived to be all these at once， and it worked。 I started the Introduction in March and had to stop for some reason after。 Once I picked up where I left off， you best believe I couldn’t put it down。 I devoured every little detail that Iger reveals about his time in ABC/Disney， from being an errand boy to restoring Disney’s gloried past and leading them through the 4 biggest acquisitions in the entertainment industry。 It wasn’t just the candid anecdotes about the likes of Rupert Murdoch， Steve Jobs， Warren Buffet that makes this a 5-star read for me （though it certainly add to its appeal）。 Instead， it’s Iger， himself， that makes this book a thrilling ride。 Armed without any Ivy League or MBA degree， Bob Iger successfully climbed up the corporate ranks by simply leaving his ego at the door and putting in the work。 For those who are interested in communications， media， entertainment as well as a trusty resource for exceptional leadership advice， this is a must-read。 。。。more
KEHNI
，
“Don't be in the business of playing it safe。 Be in the business of creating possibilities of greatness” “Don't be in the business of playing it safe。 Be in the business of creating possibilities of greatness” 。。。more
Marlon
，
Amazing book， very candid insights。
Apurva Parashar
，
Engaging and interesting read。 I read this book in less than 48 hours and that should tell you all you need to know about this book。 Bob Iger comes across as not just an accomplished CEO but also someone you can genuinely relate to， like and respect。 Highlight recommend。
Lulu Li
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A feels-good read emphasizing on treating people right， integrity and work ethics。
Sandy Morley
，
The Ride of a Lifetime is Robert Iger's personal take on the fall and rise of what's now a multimedia megalith， and his rules for life and leadership， forged in his journey from ABC rookie to top mouse at the dreamhouse。It's interesting， and it's easy to read， and Iger comes across as a positively Good Egg™。 If you've not ready many leadership books， then this is probably a good one。 But it is frustratingly lacking in detail， and doesn't say anything the genre hasn't already。By the way， I don't The Ride of a Lifetime is Robert Iger's personal take on the fall and rise of what's now a multimedia megalith， and his rules for life and leadership， forged in his journey from ABC rookie to top mouse at the dreamhouse。It's interesting， and it's easy to read， and Iger comes across as a positively Good Egg™。 If you've not ready many leadership books， then this is probably a good one。 But it is frustratingly lacking in detail， and doesn't say anything the genre hasn't already。By the way， I don't care if Mulan was made in the bad old days。 It's a great film。 。。。more
Floris Van Der Staaij
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Great book， inspiring story
Joshua Anderson
，
Very enthralling and fascinating stories， especially with regard to his relationship and dealings with Steve Jobs。 While all entertaining， I felt all the stories told we’re only about successfully negotiating take overs。 It would have been refreshing for him to talk through some of his failures in more detail which he seemed to gloss over or attribute to others。
Sean Rodriguez
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is secretly a continuous story of Mergers & Acquisitions。 I was recommended this book from my colleague （Shout Out Rashi） and was intrigued because $DIS was my 3rd largest holding in my portfolio。 I knew about all of Disney’s behemoth size of IP， but I never knew the stories of how it became this monstrosity。 You can credit a ton of its success to Bob， and I never knew the relationship Steve Jobs hard with him and his family。 Lots of great values throughout the book on becoming a successful This is secretly a continuous story of Mergers & Acquisitions。 I was recommended this book from my colleague （Shout Out Rashi） and was intrigued because $DIS was my 3rd largest holding in my portfolio。 I knew about all of Disney’s behemoth size of IP， but I never knew the stories of how it became this monstrosity。 You can credit a ton of its success to Bob， and I never knew the relationship Steve Jobs hard with him and his family。 Lots of great values throughout the book on becoming a successful leader。 Sounds like Bob had a consistent roll of receiving bad news before most of his major press conferences。 I’m thankful for him making the Avengers happen too。 I even named my dog after Iron Man “Stark”。It’ll be interesting to see if $DIS can continue to grow post-pandemic/post-Iger。 Disney+ was really a lifesaver to their company。 I look forward to see what’s next on M&A list for Disney。Definitely an easy read from start to end， and keeps you hooked with the story line and drama。 Would recommend！ 👍🏽👍🏽 。。。more
Megan Lee
，
Good book！ I particularly enjoyed reading about the Pixar acquisition， snippets on how some of the most beloved movie franchises （ahem MCU and Star Wars） came to be， and Bob’s relationship with Steve Jobs。
Jared Goerke
，
One of the better books I've read recently。 Iger is surprisingly candid for a book he wrote while still CEO of Disney。 A fascinating account of the inner workings of perhaps the most famous company in the world。 One of the better books I've read recently。 Iger is surprisingly candid for a book he wrote while still CEO of Disney。 A fascinating account of the inner workings of perhaps the most famous company in the world。 。。。more
Alesha Simpson
，
Great book！ I loved this book- it was totally enthralling from cover to cover。 I didn’t know much about Iger before reading this book - but he has opened my eyes to the amazing story of the last 15 years of Disney while expounding on some fundamentals of great leadership along the way。
Matt
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Such a fun read。 I loved his way of explaining his decisions and motivations。 He really lets you into his strategy and priorities。 I’ll read this book again。
JULIANA P
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A master class in management and leadership！
Jesus
，
Muy interesante todo el viaje del autor desde que entró en Disney hasta el momento de escribir el libro。 Esperaba más información de la que hay sobre liderazgo， pero aún así una lectura interesante donde saber detalles de cómo Disney compró Pixar， Marvel， etc。
Lori Horton
，
4。5
Germán Heim
，
The Ride of a Lifetime is a memoir by Robert Iger， former CEO of the Walt Disney Company。In this book， Iger talks about his whole career， starting from the bottom and slowly building his way up to being the CEO of one of the most successful companies ever made。I personally found it rather interesting how a person can show how much he is worth in such a way as Robert did。 The book is quite enjoyable in its own way （although some parts of it become monotonous and slow）， and I can see myself lookin The Ride of a Lifetime is a memoir by Robert Iger， former CEO of the Walt Disney Company。In this book， Iger talks about his whole career， starting from the bottom and slowly building his way up to being the CEO of one of the most successful companies ever made。I personally found it rather interesting how a person can show how much he is worth in such a way as Robert did。 The book is quite enjoyable in its own way （although some parts of it become monotonous and slow）， and I can see myself looking up to the author and the core values he lives by after reading it。Definitely， the ride of a lifetime。 。。。more
Shiv Prakash
，
Solid read - would rate as 4。5 stars。 Some good insights into the approach behind building the modern day Disney business model with some interesting anecdotes along the way。 Confirms my view that Disney fits "The Outsiders" mold to a T。 Solid read - would rate as 4。5 stars。 Some good insights into the approach behind building the modern day Disney business model with some interesting anecdotes along the way。 Confirms my view that Disney fits "The Outsiders" mold to a T。 。。。more
Sameer
，
One of the best books I have read。
Ayush Saran
，
Is this book an autobiography？ a memoir？ a business oriented book？ a story？ Yes。 The ride of a lifetime is probably the most apt name anyone could have given this book。 In short， the book is truly a ride， a ride through the lives （personal and professional） of one of the world's most influential leaders in the entertainment sector - Bob Iger。 CEO of Disney Inc， I was fascinated to pick this book up for two reasons - 1。 I get childishly excited when it comes to anything Disney related， and 2。 Dis Is this book an autobiography？ a memoir？ a business oriented book？ a story？ Yes。 The ride of a lifetime is probably the most apt name anyone could have given this book。 In short， the book is truly a ride， a ride through the lives （personal and professional） of one of the world's most influential leaders in the entertainment sector - Bob Iger。 CEO of Disney Inc， I was fascinated to pick this book up for two reasons - 1。 I get childishly excited when it comes to anything Disney related， and 2。 Disney's journey as a company in recent years is absolutely fascinating。 They really did grow big， but still fill their shoes adequately。 Each chapter indulges the reader into certain key moments that you'd have definitely read/heard about if you cross a newspaper stall。 These were headline moments in the industry and it's really hard to ignore the gravitas of the decisions behind it。 Iger has captivated us with his media， but his writing is no less， absolutely engaging to read about all the stories written in the book。 Acquisitions， board meetings， phone calls， emergency decisions - they're all written with this vigour that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout。 It's really hard to drop the book mid-chapter。 From a professional perspective， who wouldn't want to hear first hand about the experience of the most influential character in the entertainment industry in an ascension period spanning 45 years。 His key insights into how he positioned Disney to take the #1 spot is exciting to read about and he's delivered it beautifully by not only showing just the front-end， but even the back story behind some of the historic deals that went down in recent years。 All in all， it's a great read for people of all backgrounds， because entertainment is evergreen。 It's not a self help book， but the story narrative makes the non fiction almost fictionesque。 Would definitely recommend it to anyone who's interested in reading more about stories such as the acquisition of Pixar， signing Star Wars deals with George Lucas or even first hand conversation experiences with Steve Jobs。 。。。more
Jessica Nicole
，
Between 4 and 5 stars but closer to 5。 I listened to it as an audiobook but it was difficult to stop listening to from start to finish。 His story is compelling， real， and applicable to life in more ways than you might originally think。 Also includes an intro and prologue spoken by the author， which I always appreciate。
Hannah J
，