Do you want to know about former Disney CEO Bob Iger’s management style? What can you learn from Iger’s over 15 years of experience running one of the worlds largest media companies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bob Iger was the CEO of Disney<\/a> from 2005 to 2020. He took Disney from a company struggling to stay relevant to one of the largest media companies in the world. Along the way, Bob Iger’s management style gained him the trust and respect from those around and under him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading to learn about the Bob Iger management style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Bob Iger has had a long career\u201422 years at ABC, then 23 at Disney (after Disney acquired ABC<\/a>). He started as a bottom-level crew member on television sets and eventually became CEO of Disney for 15 years. He led Disney through momentous changes in technology, global expansion, and its noted acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. He still looks back at his career in mild disbelief as an incredible, lucky ride of a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are 18 pieces of advice about the Bob Iger management style that he teaches in his memoir The Ride of a Lifetime.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Bob Iger still wakes up at 4:15 AM. He relishes the time he gets to himself and his thoughts before the daily mundane demands of email and triaging priorities set in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you don\u2019t want to wake up at 4:15 AM, it\u2019s important to carve out time to yourself every day to explore your creativity unfettered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iger confesses that he usually doesn\u2019t feel anxiety when things go bad. He sees a crisis more as a problem to be solved, rather than something he has no agency over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When emergencies like the Orlando nightclub shooting and the Disney alligator attack happen, he triages the problem, decides the response, trusts his team to do their jobs, and then gets out of the way when he has little more to add. This avoids micromanagement<\/a> and meddling with little benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bob Iger management style is to practice \u201cthe relentless pursuit of perfection.\u201d This doesn\u2019t mean being 100% perfect at all costs. Rather, it means refusing to accept mediocrity<\/strong>. Don\u2019t just make things \u201cgood enough\u201d\u2014make them great. Sweat the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A successful pursuit of perfection consists of two things: 1) a mindset of perfection, and 2) the work ethic to achieve it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Iger knows that the pursuit of perfection doesn\u2019t have to come at all costs. You can achieve greatness while still being empathetic and fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean lowering your expectations. Rather, it means hearing people out, being emotionally stable, and giving people second chances for legitimate mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Capital Cities, Dan Burke gave Iger a note cautioning him not to get in the business of making trombone oil. They might make the world\u2019s best trombone oil, but the world only needs a few gallons of it a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The point was to avoid focusing on small projects that don\u2019t yield much in return. Instead, focus on big projects that can produce big gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When giving feedback to creative people, understand that they pour their souls into their works. They may understandably be sensitive to feedback, especially if you seem to be trampling on their vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When giving feedback, the Bob Iger management style is to always start out positively. Then he focuses on the big picture, not with nitpicking small items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, when giving notes to young director Ryan Coogler for Black Panther<\/em>, Iger first made clear that he thought the film was special and that the entire company had faith in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Playing it safe never leads to greatness. To be great, you need to take big risks. And if you take big risks, you will inevitably have big failures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should personally accept that failure will come when you aim for greatness. Then you should push your team to take risks and accept the possibility of failure; when they do fail, support them through it and prepare them to take more risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The owners of Capital Cities Dan and Tom sometimes disagreed with Iger\u2019s creative choices, but they had faith in him and encouraged him to take chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you desperately want something to work, you may blind yourself to the reality that it\u2019s not working. At these times, take a step back and force yourself to explain how<\/em> it will work. If you feel any doubt as you explain this, figure out why. Then figure out why you want it to work so much, and whether you\u2019ve gotten too personally invested in the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ambition to take on more responsibility and rise up is valuable, but it can be stretched too far toward impatience. Some people focus so much on the job they want that they start doing poorly in the job they have. In turn, they sabotage themselves from achieving the job they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an employee, do a great job in where you are today. Make your ambition clear through your action\u2014be eager to learn, help out where you can, and work hard. When your boss has an opportunity, you want to be the one they think of first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a manager, when you think about who to promote, don\u2019t focus on people who keep asking for promotions but don\u2019t have the work to back it up. Focus on people who do the work well and are true team players. In turn, if you establish a pattern of rewarding people on merit and not on politics, your team will be loyal to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A pessimistic \u201ceverything\u2019s going to fail\u201d attitude leads to defensiveness and risk aversion, possibly exactly when you need to be bold. Plus, no one likes working for pessimists\u2014it kills energy and inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optimism isn\u2019t blindly believing things will work out. Instead, it\u2019s about believing in yourself<\/a> and your team\u2019s abilities to get to the best outcome. It\u2019s about looking for new solutions without prematurely giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Priorities are an articulation of where you want to go and how you\u2019re going to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your team members understand the priorities clearly, they can focus their own work in the right direction. They can make individual decisions that support the priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, a team without priorities is aimless and anxious. They waste time wondering what they should be doing and working on things that don\u2019t help the priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose just a few priorities. Communicate them often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There may come a time when you have lots of detractors<\/a>. People tell you you\u2019re terrible at your job and that you should be replaced. This might even be public, and people who don\u2019t know you make judgments about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During these times, don\u2019t let how other people feel affect how you feel about yourself. You have little control over what other people say about you, but you do have control over what you do and how you feel. This perspective will help you through the rough times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your job is to find the best possible solution. Don\u2019t let your ego<\/a> bias you away from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iger felt a blow to his ego when Roy and Stanley challenged his appointment, but he knew the better path was to suck up his pride and repair the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This should go unsaid, but it\u2019s often not put into practice. If you treat people with respect and empathy, you will gain their trust and open up new opportunities you never thought possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people self-sabotage, preventing themselves from taking big risks. They think rationally about the odds, then convince themselves not to do it before they even seriously try. But if you don\u2019t take big risks, you won\u2019t get big wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, the Bob Iger management style is to believe in your ability and your team\u2019s ability to accomplish great things. With energy, perseverance, and resourcefulness, you can achieve even the biggest, most outlandish ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean you should gamble compulsively. You still need to thoughtfully collect data and analyze things. But ultimately you\u2019ll never have complete information, and you need to trust your instinct<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firing or demoting someone, especially a friend or loyal employee, is always difficult. Iger gives the following advice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Do it yourself; don\u2019t give the dirty work to someone else. People deserve that respect, and they need to hear it from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Do it in person, and look them in the eye. Don\u2019t do it by phone or email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Don\u2019t start off with small talk. Iger starts with, \u201cI\u2019ve asked to meet for a difficult reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Be direct. Talk about the issue, explain why it isn\u2019t working, why you think it can\u2019t be fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Bob Iger Management Style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carve Out Personal Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trust Your Team<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pursue Perfection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Be Empathetic and Fair<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Manufacture Trombone Oil<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Treat Creators Empathetically<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make It OK to Fail<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Be Clear When It\u2019s Not Working<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Be Ambitious, But Not Impatient<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lead With Optimism<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Define Your Priorities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Filter the Noise<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Let Ego Override Your Decision-Making<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Treat People With Respect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Take Big Risks, Thoughtfully<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Fire Someone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n