The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons in Creative Leadership
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- Create Date：2021-04-16 11:57:56
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Robert Iger
- ISBN：1787630471
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Summary
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。"
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。"
Reviews
Courtney
，
Fascinating read on Bob Igers tenure at ABC then later Disney。 I learned so much about the acquisitions of Pixar， Marvel， and LucasFilms and the market cap growth that came with the “new Disney。” Bob is a man of integrity who does the right thing for the company and his ethics pay dividends with the transformation he has able to steer Disney through。 As an aside， I had no idea how close he was with Steve Jobs and found the backstory interesting。
Ross Beck-macneil
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（Read as e-book） What's it about？Robert Iger tells the story of his career， from his first job at ABC to his acquisitions of Marvel， Pixar， Fox Entertainment and Lucasfilms as CEO of Disney。 It focuses on his work rather than his personal life and tries to sum things up and offer lessons。 It starts off with one of Iger's most "compartmentalized" days: the opening of Disneyland Shanghai which coincided with a nightclub shooting in Orlando and an alligator attack in DisneyWorld。Robert tells how he （Read as e-book） What's it about？Robert Iger tells the story of his career， from his first job at ABC to his acquisitions of Marvel， Pixar， Fox Entertainment and Lucasfilms as CEO of Disney。 It focuses on his work rather than his personal life and tries to sum things up and offer lessons。 It starts off with one of Iger's most "compartmentalized" days: the opening of Disneyland Shanghai which coincided with a nightclub shooting in Orlando and an alligator attack in DisneyWorld。Robert tells how he rose up through the ranks in ABC，before it was acquired by Disney。 At Disney， Iger continued to lead ABC， while getting mixed signals about the possibility of succeeding to the CEO role at Disney。 Iger ultimately became CEO of Disney in 2005 after Michael Eisner was forced out。 In his efforts to mend Disney's relationship with Pixar， Iger developed a good friendship with Steve Jobs and ended up acquiring Pixar。 What did I think？I really like this book。 I don't normally go for these kind of business stories， but I found Ride of a Lifetime to be very engaging。 Iger's career arc is very interesting。 He clearly had a lot of luck and help， but I like that he acknowledges that。 The book is fairly short， and does a good job of incorporating lessons into the story。 Except for the opening prologue， the story is told sequentially。 。。。more
Michael Galvin
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I feel Bob Iger， after Walt Disney， is one of the most influential CEOs of The Walt Disney Company。 This book provided in-depth history of the major acquisitions of The Walt Disney Company including Pixar， Marvel， and Lucasfilms。
Vidur Satija
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Fast paced， very clear， enjoyable， and lots to learn。
Ryan Stevens
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I am happy to have read this book and learn more about himself as well as how Disney got to where it is today in this modern era。 I wish he went into even more detail with regard to the acquisitions and how he works on specific strategic projects at Disney。 For example， what is his process when starting a new project？ How does he like to work cross functionally？ How does he think about communication and organization of such a large corporation？ What unique and interesting challenges arise from a I am happy to have read this book and learn more about himself as well as how Disney got to where it is today in this modern era。 I wish he went into even more detail with regard to the acquisitions and how he works on specific strategic projects at Disney。 For example， what is his process when starting a new project？ How does he like to work cross functionally？ How does he think about communication and organization of such a large corporation？ What unique and interesting challenges arise from an operations point of view when acquiring Pixar vs Fox？ This book leaves me wanting more which I suppose is one of the signs of a great book。 。。。more
Danielle Hong
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Great book， great insights and stories of which many instances brought me to tears。 I savoured the book for long to accompany me for lunch time to take a break from work， worth re-reading。
Hayley Etter
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Damn， never thought a book about business would make me almost cry so many times。
Ian
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Really good read in the business biography category。 Iger is not the disney CEO i most associate to that position， but I do believe he is the reason it is so successful today。
Victor Ramirez Urueta
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Interesting history about the major deals that Disney had during Bob's tenure。 Specifically Pixar， Marvel， Lucasfilm and Fox。 There is also great information about leadership that all must be aware of， since they make excellent points to nurture ones growth and evaluate whether the company you work is the right one for you。 Interesting history about the major deals that Disney had during Bob's tenure。 Specifically Pixar， Marvel， Lucasfilm and Fox。 There is also great information about leadership that all must be aware of， since they make excellent points to nurture ones growth and evaluate whether the company you work is the right one for you。 。。。more
Shoshana Frank
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Much more a memoir than a leadership book。 Check out the appendix for the bullet points regarding lessons for leaders。
Qi Wang
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Nothing is more reasonable for a world-top CEO to tell you how to focus on yourself for your career。Easy to read and understand。 More details about the acquisitions and stories behind the scene。 It's not easy to stay on the line from author's first career。Great advice I believe might fit most everyone's situation， big or small。 Nothing is more reasonable for a world-top CEO to tell you how to focus on yourself for your career。Easy to read and understand。 More details about the acquisitions and stories behind the scene。 It's not easy to stay on the line from author's first career。Great advice I believe might fit most everyone's situation， big or small。 。。。more
Kasian Rwyczuk
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An incredibly captivating read on one of the most influential leaders in recent times。 This book details the mergers and acquisitions of some of the biggest creative companies in the 21st century; Pixar， Marvel and Lucasfilm。 It also delves in to the iconic brand that is Disney， although at times I would have liked more detail on what he did with existing assets under his stewardship。The summary of lessons in business is brilliant， and something I'll be going through time and time again。 An incredibly captivating read on one of the most influential leaders in recent times。 This book details the mergers and acquisitions of some of the biggest creative companies in the 21st century; Pixar， Marvel and Lucasfilm。 It also delves in to the iconic brand that is Disney， although at times I would have liked more detail on what he did with existing assets under his stewardship。The summary of lessons in business is brilliant， and something I'll be going through time and time again。 。。。more
Yeojin Yoon
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Another incredible lifetime story of how he managed to reach to the top of giant company and his struggles。。。 interesting to see and to be seen in the company politics
Yi Yang
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Excellent book。
Lea Elizabeth Ludwig
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If you are looking for an inspirational leadership or business book， or if you just love Disney。。。。this is a great audio about Robert Iger， CEO of Disney， and his 45 year career。 It was motivating and interesting， and he shares a lot of great bits of wisdom including admitting some of the mistakes he made along the way。 Excellent！
Rija
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Listened to this as an audiobook and it was an insightful， life-affirming and wholesome look into Bob Iger’s personal and professional journey。 I loved the stories about all the behind-the-scenes action that went into acquiring giant businesses like Pixar， Marvel and Lucasfilms， especially the parts that describe his interactions with Steve Jobs。 I also loved hearing about what was going on within the company during events that we heard about on the news， like the Orlando nightclub shooting， Ros Listened to this as an audiobook and it was an insightful， life-affirming and wholesome look into Bob Iger’s personal and professional journey。 I loved the stories about all the behind-the-scenes action that went into acquiring giant businesses like Pixar， Marvel and Lucasfilms， especially the parts that describe his interactions with Steve Jobs。 I also loved hearing about what was going on within the company during events that we heard about on the news， like the Orlando nightclub shooting， Roseanne Barr’s insensitive and racist tweets and the development of Disney+。 I also appreciated how he summarized and compiled all the lessons he had learnt throughout the years into the appendix that readers can refer to。 Some that stood out to me were “long shots and often not as long as they seem” and “great is often the result of little things”。 Overall， a great book for anyone looking for a heartwarming autobiography sprinkled with essential life and business advice。 。。。more
Nathan Kadlecek
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Fascinating and captivating story！I’m always fascinated by the how behind peoples stories。 How’d they get there， what choices were made， what kind of luck was involved。 One of the first autobiographies that I ever read was about Phil Knight and Nike， incredible。 I wouldn’t say that this is quite on par with that but it’s pretty darn close。 A great read that is truly a page turner。
Anjeline Joegi
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I was pleasantly surprised at how vulnerable and candid Iger was on certain Disney franchise failures and some of the mistakes that he made。 I loved it！
Vikram Mohan R
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Worth every page。 For those who think things at the top with all the money and glitz is fun， this is a perfect treat。He has so honestly portrayed his emotions， the sacrifices he made， his tantrums， his fears， it all so eloquently comes out。His candor deserves so much respect because it makes you understand that irrespective of how much money you earn， it is lonely at the top。He gives a beautiful side to Steve jobs and also states how important work culture is。 There are so many awesome quotes fr Worth every page。 For those who think things at the top with all the money and glitz is fun， this is a perfect treat。He has so honestly portrayed his emotions， the sacrifices he made， his tantrums， his fears， it all so eloquently comes out。His candor deserves so much respect because it makes you understand that irrespective of how much money you earn， it is lonely at the top。He gives a beautiful side to Steve jobs and also states how important work culture is。 There are so many awesome quotes from this book that I have book marked for future use。 MUST READ！！！！ 。。。more
Sarah Hannay
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LOVED THIS BOOK。 I cried 3 times。 Great leadership lessons。 The acquisition stories were fascinating。
Hector Tobon
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Un muy buen escrito en donde a través de las anécdotas presentadas por Robert， aprendes sobre algunos de los fundamentos básicos sobre el liderazgo de equipos de trabajo。 La manera como cuenta la historia hace entrever los altos y bajos de tener un cargo tan alto y la gestión que debió realizar para poder llevar a la compañía hacia lo alto。Algunos apartados me sonaron mucho a "chismlgrafía" pero me atrevo a interpretar que el autor intenta explicar algunos de los pormenores importantes de su act Un muy buen escrito en donde a través de las anécdotas presentadas por Robert， aprendes sobre algunos de los fundamentos básicos sobre el liderazgo de equipos de trabajo。 La manera como cuenta la historia hace entrever los altos y bajos de tener un cargo tan alto y la gestión que debió realizar para poder llevar a la compañía hacia lo alto。Algunos apartados me sonaron mucho a "chismlgrafía" pero me atrevo a interpretar que el autor intenta explicar algunos de los pormenores importantes de su actividad en la empresa， de manera pública， para informar a una audiencia general el porqué de algunas decisiones que llevó a cabo， y explicando abiertamente el carácter de sus contrapartidas。Bastante se aprende con este libro。 。。。more
Sam
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Enjoyed it！ Quite a few good leadership nuggets and the interesting behind-the-scenes stories of Disney’s history while Iger was at the helm。
Tim Brady
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This was a fantastic book。 A perfect mix of great story-telling and leadership tools。 I knew very little about Bob Iger prior to reading his book， other than he started at ABC， did really well， then became CEO of Disney。 Reading about his transition from job to job， his wonderful mentors along the way， and his insights into successful leadership was truly interesting and inspiring。 He maintains a good level of humility in his own successes while continue to point to his hard-working teams， great This was a fantastic book。 A perfect mix of great story-telling and leadership tools。 I knew very little about Bob Iger prior to reading his book， other than he started at ABC， did really well， then became CEO of Disney。 Reading about his transition from job to job， his wonderful mentors along the way， and his insights into successful leadership was truly interesting and inspiring。 He maintains a good level of humility in his own successes while continue to point to his hard-working teams， great mentors， and a certain level of luck required to get him where he is。 Something I really liked that completely surprised me was learning about his very close relationship with Steve Jobs。As a book， this is excellently paced and easy to read。 It was easy to sit and read a chapter or two at a time。 Highly recommended to all who enjoy non-fiction， leadership， bios/memoirs， or Disney in general。 。。。more
Jennifer
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More a biography than a leadership advise text。 Easy to read filled with interesting insights into Iger’s media career。
Michelle
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Fascinating history of the more current decades of the Disney company and how the brand has evolved to a modern media company。 I listened to the audio version but regretted not reading the printed version。 There are many words of wisdom and leadership principles that I would have liked to highlight。
Jackie
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I got this book free from my work。 I'm not a manager， not do I wish to be one。 I normally wouldn't select a book like this， but since I got it for free， I thought I'd see what it was like。 I REALLY enjoyed this book。 It was well written and engaging to any reader no matter if you wish to be a leader or not。 The story of the road he travels is well depicted。 I would recommend this book。 I got this book free from my work。 I'm not a manager， not do I wish to be one。 I normally wouldn't select a book like this， but since I got it for free， I thought I'd see what it was like。 I REALLY enjoyed this book。 It was well written and engaging to any reader no matter if you wish to be a leader or not。 The story of the road he travels is well depicted。 I would recommend this book。 。。。more
Hui Ping
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Start of book was difficult to get through without a greater understanding of all the technical aspects of business， but reading about how Marvel， Pixar and Fox gradually came under the umbrella of Disney was fascinating。 Even more so as Disney+ gets launched recently， a pet project that was briefly mentioned towards the end of the book。
Yudhik Agrawal
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"I learned from them that genuine decency and professional competitiveness weren’t mutually exclusive。" This should be understood by not only CEOs/businessmen but also every student who blatantly participate in today's rat race。 "I learned from them that genuine decency and professional competitiveness weren’t mutually exclusive。" This should be understood by not only CEOs/businessmen but also every student who blatantly participate in today's rat race。 。。。more
Jeroen De Dauw
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Entertaining recounting of events。 3。5 starsDisappointing how he thinks Disney handling of Star Wars was a success， or how he seems to subscribe to woke BS。
Tammy Farlow
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