The Ride of a Lifetime

Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Robert Iger | 4.63 | 13,153 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Brian Chesky, Brené Brown, Karlie Kloss, and 12 others. See all reviews

Ranked #1 in Video, Ranked #1 in Movie Biography — see more rankings.

A grand vision defined: The CEO of Disney, one of Time's most influential people of 2019, shares the ideas and values he embraced to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

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.

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 he is recognized as one of the most innovative and successful CEOs of our era.

In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger shares the lessons he's learned while running Disney and leading its 200,000 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 for forty-five years, 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 navigate their professional and even personal lives." less

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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Ride of a Lifetime from the world's leading experts.

Brené Brown I expected a book written by the person who has led Disney for decades to be defined by both gripping storytelling and deep leadership wisdom. [The author] delivers, and then some! [This book] is leadership gold—you won’t forget the stories or the lessons. (Source)

Brian Chesky Co-Founder & CEO/AirBnbBob's book is great and he's an excellent CEO. (Source)

John Stamos Loving the book Bob. Really honest and fascinating! Every Disney fan (everyone) needs to read. https://t.co/13VZpFleb0 (Source)

Karlie Kloss [Karlie Kloss] says [this book] really inspired her to become a better boss. (Source)

Eze Vidra @eriktorenberg Great advice on this by Robert Iger, the ceo of Disney, in “the ride of a lifetime” book https://t.co/SgdLZHYyrJ (Source)

Ryan Sarver This was a great book and @anuhariharan summarizes it well 👇🏻 https://t.co/HFG3ttRvKS (Source)

Sarah Lacy @Heather_Poole I've listened to fewer than Paul but the Margaret Atwood and Shonda Rhimes ones are awesome. I really want to listen to the Iger one because I loved his book and I've been so gobsmacked by all the change he's brought to Disney (Source)

Morgan Housel Lots of people said read this book by Robert Iger for the first chapter (which is very good), but I thought the whole book was interesting. Fits @michaelbatnick's definition of a book about business vs. a business book. https://t.co/YJOCtv5dOn (Source)

Alok Kejriwal AN AMAZING read by the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. WHY you MUST read this book: - The sheer depth of real stories @RobertIger shares about his career at Disney! The details of how he bought Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Entertainment & Fox are mind blowing - see pic for review https://t.co/oLH5lfye4K (Source)

Daniel Coyle People have been waiting years for Bob Iger to share his leadership secrets. Now he has, and they are utterly brilliant. The Ride of a Lifetime is not merely a memoir; it’s a personal, all-access session with the wisest CEO you’ve ever met and a playbook for handling the key challenges of our age: how to drive change, leverage technology, build an enduring culture, and empower people. It’s a rippingly good, revelatory read. (Source)

Brene Brown I expected a book written by the person who has led Disney for decades to be defined by both gripping storytelling and deep leadership wisdom. Bob Iger delivers, and then some! The Ride of a Lifetime is leadership gold—you won’t forget the stories or the lessons. (Source)

Alex Rainert Great listen. Also, highly recommend the Iger book. https://t.co/WdAgGjfOcu (Source)

Rankings by Category

The Ride of a Lifetime is ranked in the following categories:

#55 in Art
#75 in Autobiography
#87 in Biography
#7 in Business Biography
#67 in Business Strategy
#93 in CEO
#4 in Christian Leadership
#14 in Economic History
#56 in Entertaining
#88 in Entertainment
#47 in Feel-Good
#25 in Film
#32 in Filmmaking
#78 in MBA
#60 in Memoir
#63 in Movie
#73 in Movies
#26 in Negotiation
#34 in Personal Branding
#64 in True Story

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