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The Ride of a Lifetime

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

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The Ride of a Lifetime

By: Robert Iger
Narrated by: Jim Frangione, Robert Iger
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About this listen

Number-one New York Times best seller

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 15 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.

Fourteen years later, 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 audiobook is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger for 45 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."

©2019 Robert Iger (P)2019 Random House Audio
Business Direction & Production Leadership Inspiring Thought-Provoking Suspenseful Creative Writing Business Biography Film Business
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Critic reviews

“Nurturing creativity is less a skill than an art - especially at a company where the brand alone is synonymous with creativity. That’s a lot to live up to. Bob Iger has not only lived up to ninety-six years of groundbreaking history but has moved the Disney brand far beyond anyone’s expectations, and he has done it with grace and audacity. This book shows you how that’s happened.” (Steven Spielberg)

“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.” (Daniel Coyle, New York Times best-selling author of The Culture Code)

“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.” (Brené Brown, number one New York Times best-selling author of Dare to Lead)

Featured Article: 35+ Inspirational Entrepreneur Quotes to Kickstart Your Goals


The world of entrepreneurship is filled with high hurdles, long nights, and hard-earned wins. Deciding to launch your own business is a huge risk, and it requires a lot of support, luck, and sheer grit to stick with it long enough to see it pay off. Whether you’re considering heading into an independent career or are already running your own company, you know how important it is to seek out the wisdom of those with thriving ventures.

What listeners say about The Ride of a Lifetime

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I only wish Iger had narrated the whole thing

It’s a great read and I couldn’t put it down. A must for anyone working with creative people. After Iger narrated the gripping, emotional intro, I was sad to hear him go.

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Interesting and informative

An interesting read with some good leadership lessons in it. Finding out some behind-the-scenes details of business stories I have heard about over the years was especially fascinating.

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Very interesting book

I liked the book, not the best but it gives you a very interesting point of view on the history of the modern disney era

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Amazing Listen

An honest story with a lot of insight into how Disney became the way it did and how you can grow career wise!

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I love Disney!

Huge Disney fan and former cast member! Liked the book but it was at times a lot of cooperate world play by play.

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Great book!

I really enjoyed the book. I wasn’t aware of Bob Iger’s successes and it was great to read about the difficulties (and triumphs) along the way.

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Inside Baseball

Obviously this is a very one sided perspective with an enormous biases but regardless of all that I was sucked into believing every word of Iger’s retelling of his time helming the Happiest Company on Earth.

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amazing read

I would have only enjoyed it more if bob had read it. It felt honest, didn't look to gloss over failures. I was more curious as to what lead the board to seek someone other than Tom, which Bob didn't touch on. However, it was an amazing listen and I finished it more impressed with Bob compared to when I started (pretty difficult to do).

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Amazing Book!!

It was insightful, informative and intriguing in how it showcased the deals that were made, the consistency that Iger had as an employee and of course how it all lead into being a CEO with the same organization for his tenure and career.

I’m impressed and inspired by the integrity displayed, the character represented and the all out ability to just get the job done.

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outstanding human being

he should run for president of the United States of America. great story of unequal

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