Robert Iger became CEO of Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Competition was more intense than ever, technology changing faster than before. His vision – 3 clear ideas: re-commit to the concept that quality matters, embrace technology, think global. Under his leadership, Disney became the largest, most admired media company- counting Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox. Its value rose 5 times than what it was. Iger is recognised as one of the most innovative & successful CEOs. In The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger shares the lessons learned while running Disney. Key principles of leadership – optimism, courage, empathy & equality. The Ride of a Lifetime.
Iger does a great job explaining what it is like to be a CEO. ‘You’re always worried, go from plotting growth strategy with investors, to looking at designs of giant new theme-parks with imagineers, to giving notes of films, to discussing security measures, board governance, ticket pricing & pay scale. Always crises & failures for which we can never be fully prepared’. Iger offers a list of lessons to lead by. ‘Value ability more than experience, put people in roles that require more of them than they know they have in them’. He writes, ‘I became comfortable with failure, not with lack of effort, but with the fact if we want innovation, we need to grant permission to fail’. An inspiring, insightful & entertaining read.
