The Ride Of A Lifetime - Review
This book was very good.
Robert Iger has been the CEO of Disney for over 15 years, and in this book, he gives his story and the things he learnt along the way.
A key theme from the book is that a company reflects it’s leaders values. If you want your company to act a certain way, you as the leader, also need to act in that certain way.
There were three main things that I got from this book. Optimism, Innovation and Courage.
Optimism 🔗︎
“Optimism. One of the most important qualities of a good leader is optimism, a pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved. Even in the face of difficult choices and less than ideal outcomes, an optimistic leader does not yield to pessimism. Simply put, people are not motivated or energized by pessimists.” ― Robert Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
This was a key theme throughout the book.
No-one can be led by a pessimist.
Even in the face of challenges, leaders must remain optimistic.
Innovation 🔗︎
“The path to innovation begins with curiosity” ― Robert Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
One of the coolest things I noticed about the author is that he is very innovative.
It seems like as soon as he started as CEO, he put things into motion. It seems like he knew what to do.
He burst onto the scene by acquiring Pixar, and various other companies after.
These are very innovative moves.
Even his eventual move into the digital space by creating Disney Plus was seen as very forward thinking, but it has paid off.
This innovation was absolutely key to his success, and leads me to my next point.
Courage 🔗︎
“Don’t be in the business of playing it safe. Be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.” ― Robert Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
This man is very courageous.
He knew when he started that the average time a CEO spends in charge is about 4 years, and set his sights accordingly.
In all of his decisions, he trusted his gut instinct and showed courage.
Some of the decisions he had to make are some of the biggest deals that have happen this century. When smart people don’t agree with you, especially in these situations, it would be easy to give up.
Robert trusted his gut, and it brought him much success.
Conclusion 🔗︎
It’s difficult to summarise this book into three short points.
It was incredible to hear the first hand experience of such a successful person.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.