BOOK REVIEW: The Ride of a Lifetime


I just finished reading Robert Iger's The Ride of a Lifetime that shares his career's story of rising through ABC and eventually becoming the CEO of Disney. It's a chronological overview of his 22 years at ABC and 23 years at Disney, with the last 14 being CEO of Disney and provides great leadership principles. 

Iger shares excellent business advice while sharing personal stories about Steve Jobs and the acquisition of Pixar and George Lucas and the acquisition of Lucasfilm.  Through the stories, he shares ten principles necessary to true leadership: 

  • Optimism: "A pragmatic enthusiasm for what can be achieved... people are not motivated or energized by pessimists."
  • Courage: "The foundation of risk-taking is courage, and in ever-changing, disrupted businesses, risk-taking is essential, innovation is vital, and true innovation occurs only when people have courage."
  • Focus: "Allocating time, energy, and resources to the strategies, problems, and projects that are of highest importance and value is extremely important, and it’s imperative to communicate your priorities clearly and often."
  • Decisiveness: "All decisions, no matter how difficult, can and should be made in a timely way."
  • Curiosity: "A deep and abiding curiosity enables the discovery of new people, places, and ideas, as well as an awareness and an understanding of the marketplace and its changing dynamics."
  • Fairness: "Strong leadership embodies the fair and decent treatment of people. Empathy is essential, as is accessibility."
  • Thoughtfulness: "It is the process of gaining knowledge, so an opinion rendered or decision made is more credible and more likely to be correct. It’s simply about taking the time to develop informed opinions."
  • Authenticity: "Be genuine. Be honest. Don’t fake anything. Truth and authenticity breed respect and trust."
  • The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection: "This doesn’t mean perfectionism at all costs, but it does mean a refusal to accept mediocrity or make excuses for something being 'good enough'... be in the business of making things great."
  • Integrity: "Nothing is more important than the quality and integrity of an organization’s people and its product... The way you do anything is the way you do everything."
The book ends with the Appendix: Lessons To Lead By that lists examples of these principles. 

I'd agree with him when he says in the Prologue, "If you run a business or manage a team or collaborate with others in pursuit of a common goal, this book might be helpful to you."  I found it very entertaining while reinforcing sound business principles.

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