#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A memoir of leadership and success: The executive chairman of
Disney Time's 2019 businessperson of the year shares the ideas and values he embraced during
his fifteen years as CEO while reinventing one of the world's most beloved companies and
inspiring the people who bring the magic to life. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
NPR 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. Today Disney is the largest most
admired 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 learned while running Disney and leading its 220
000-plus 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.
