The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons in Creative Leadership
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- Create Date：2021-05-04 10:53:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Iger
- ISBN：1787630463
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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
Floris Van Der Staaij
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Great book， inspiring story
Joshua Anderson
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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4。5
Germán Heim
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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
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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
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One of the best books I have read。
Ayush Saran
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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
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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
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This is a really interesting look at Robert Iger's life and his journey with The Walt Disney Company。 I listened to the audiobook， which was great， and I think I'll be purchasing a physical copy as well to reference his business/ management tips。 This is a really interesting look at Robert Iger's life and his journey with The Walt Disney Company。 I listened to the audiobook， which was great， and I think I'll be purchasing a physical copy as well to reference his business/ management tips。 。。。more
Jeremy
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I liked this better than I expected。 It is a largely a memoir of Iger's life and career。 Sure it is self-congratulatory and self-indulgent at times， but it was well-written and quite enjoyable。 He had an interesting career starting out at ABC and making TV shows to taking over Disney and making movies。A huge theme of the book is acquisitions。 He has been a part of being acquired and done major acquisitions。 I found much of the discussion around these examples to be illuminating and interesting。 I liked this better than I expected。 It is a largely a memoir of Iger's life and career。 Sure it is self-congratulatory and self-indulgent at times， but it was well-written and quite enjoyable。 He had an interesting career starting out at ABC and making TV shows to taking over Disney and making movies。A huge theme of the book is acquisitions。 He has been a part of being acquired and done major acquisitions。 I found much of the discussion around these examples to be illuminating and interesting。 Nothing groundbreaking in terms of advice， but I found the examples to be applicable beyond Disney。 Also lots of interesting stuff about being a leader in your business。 With lots about Disney and acquisition stories involving Pixar， Marvel， Star Wars， it's hard not to find this book interesting。 。。。more
Yasser Maniram
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Insightful， and seemingly honest。 Reveals both the good and the challenging aspects including relationship to Steve Jobs and the acquisition of Marvel and Pixar Studios。 Furthermore gives good advice to trust your instinct， listen to others， and gather an awareness of the situation。
Pritam Aich
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" wherever you are along the path ， you're the same person you've always been " - my favourite line from this book which also happens to be the last line of it 。 A must read for entrepreneurs & anyone who is into business or thinking of getting into it 。 " wherever you are along the path ， you're the same person you've always been " - my favourite line from this book which also happens to be the last line of it 。 A must read for entrepreneurs & anyone who is into business or thinking of getting into it 。 。。。more
Allison
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An interesting legacy， though I'm not a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company。 At the end he consolidates some of his leadership lessons。 An interesting legacy， though I'm not a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company。 At the end he consolidates some of his leadership lessons。 。。。more
Dylan Mason
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I have a new favourite book about leadership。 Legitimately sad when it was over。
Mary
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I like Disney and I think Bob Iger is cool， so 4 stars to this book
Paulina_hf
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Me fascino la historia de este gran personaje！ Grandes lecciones de vida。
Tim
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An enjoyable listen on Audible。 It sounds like Robert Iger is an effective leader in his own right， and I found value in his life experiences as CEO of Disney。 Equally， I appreciated hearing him recount lessons learned for mentors and bosses he encountered on his way to the top。Two big takeaways （among many other valuable nuggets） for me: Integrity of products and people is paramount。 And， there can be no innovation if you're afraid of the new or afraid to fail。 An enjoyable listen on Audible。 It sounds like Robert Iger is an effective leader in his own right， and I found value in his life experiences as CEO of Disney。 Equally， I appreciated hearing him recount lessons learned for mentors and bosses he encountered on his way to the top。Two big takeaways （among many other valuable nuggets） for me: Integrity of products and people is paramount。 And， there can be no innovation if you're afraid of the new or afraid to fail。 。。。more
Jim
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One of my MBA professors told me to read autobiographies as they give you a peek into the leader's rationale， and this book was exactly that。Through a collection of big stories throughout his career， Iger highlighted the moments where he learned the lessons that defined his way of leadership - with integrity， trust， sensitivity， and focus。To add to all that， it was also interesting to hear stories from "the room where it happened" - all the acquisitions and deals made during his tenure。 The Pixa One of my MBA professors told me to read autobiographies as they give you a peek into the leader's rationale， and this book was exactly that。Through a collection of big stories throughout his career， Iger highlighted the moments where he learned the lessons that defined his way of leadership - with integrity， trust， sensitivity， and focus。To add to all that， it was also interesting to hear stories from "the room where it happened" - all the acquisitions and deals made during his tenure。 The Pixar， Marvel， and 21st Century Fox acquisitions were great stories to read， all told from a perspective business cases don't let you see from。 。。。more
Stephan Ledain
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Surprisingly for me， this was a thoughtful， candid， and emotionally mature take on a company we've grown to love and are deeply connected to but take for granted。 Bob does a pretty good job of weaving together the factual events of the life of Disney with some of his leadership reflections throughout。 Surprisingly for me， this was a thoughtful， candid， and emotionally mature take on a company we've grown to love and are deeply connected to but take for granted。 Bob does a pretty good job of weaving together the factual events of the life of Disney with some of his leadership reflections throughout。 。。。more
Libros Para Crecer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 En este libro， Lecciones de Liderazgo Creativo， el autor Robert Iger nos narra como。comenzo en sus humilde orígenes y como fue con el paso del tiempo ocupando diferentes posiciones y pasándo de empresa en empresa por consolidaciónes hasta llegar a Walt Disney Company y ocupar la posición de CEO。 Ademas como sucedieron la compra de esta empresa， Disney， a otras empresas de las industrias del entretenimiento。El libro tiene catorce capitulo dividos entre la Introducción y dos partes。 Además de ser En este libro， Lecciones de Liderazgo Creativo， el autor Robert Iger nos narra como。comenzo en sus humilde orígenes y como fue con el paso del tiempo ocupando diferentes posiciones y pasándo de empresa en empresa por consolidaciónes hasta llegar a Walt Disney Company y ocupar la posición de CEO。 Ademas como sucedieron la compra de esta empresa， Disney， a otras empresas de las industrias del entretenimiento。El libro tiene catorce capitulo dividos entre la Introducción y dos partes。 Además de ser una autobiografía es un libro inspirador basado en sus experiencias en posiciones de liderato。 Si deseas oír un resumen de este libro puedes ir a mi podcast， Libros Para Crecer， al siguiente enlace https://anchor。fm/librosparacrecer/ep。。。Y si deseas un resumen de este libro escrito gratis puedes descargarlo en el siguiente enlacehttps://drive。google。com/file/d/1S1ze。。。Bendiciones！！ 。。。more
Jac
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Iger's candor about his successes and mistakes through the greater landscape of Disney and the overall industry。 This was a page turner for me and I had trouble putting it down。 Highly recommend。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Iger's candor about his successes and mistakes through the greater landscape of Disney and the overall industry。 This was a page turner for me and I had trouble putting it down。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Hesam
，
Disney was my favorite business of the year in 2020 （and one that shaped much of my childhood）; it's a business that stood to lose the most from the pandemic （Disney parks）， yet it bounced back stronger and continues to keep its shareholders excited。 While Bob Iger's term ended right before the Coronavirus shutdowns， it is the strategies he put in place over the years and his long-term vision that I believe were key to Disney's recovery; this includes， among others， his focus on creating a stron Disney was my favorite business of the year in 2020 （and one that shaped much of my childhood）; it's a business that stood to lose the most from the pandemic （Disney parks）， yet it bounced back stronger and continues to keep its shareholders excited。 While Bob Iger's term ended right before the Coronavirus shutdowns， it is the strategies he put in place over the years and his long-term vision that I believe were key to Disney's recovery; this includes， among others， his focus on creating a strong brand via content and the direct-to-consumer channels such as Disney+。 This book could definitely benefit from a new epilogue that reflects on how his contributions carried Disney through the pandemic。 I loved the book and didn't want it to end。 To me， it was as much about business strategy as it was about leadership。 It was inspiring to hear from Iger himself on how his foresight shaped one of the most beloved companies that continues to deliver value to its shareholders but also to its customers。 Strongly recommended for business-oriented minds or those in consulting/business career paths。 。。。more
Abi
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