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  • The Ride of a Lifetime

  • Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
  • Written by: Robert Iger
  • Narrated by: Jim Frangione, Robert Iger
  • Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,151 ratings)

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The Ride of a Lifetime

Written by: Robert Iger
Narrated by: Jim Frangione,Robert Iger
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Publisher's Summary

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

What the critics say

“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)

What listeners say about The Ride of a Lifetime

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Great listening

This was a great listening. Good choice to have Bob read the preface. Bob covers many of the big titles of is life. I do think there they is many that he did not mentioned or could of have more dive inn. Has a "Disney client fan" Thank you Bob Mouse.

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interesting

A regular smart guy who learned good and bad from everyone he worked for ,with around loved it

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Great Story

I really enjoyed the raw risk honesty truth and kindness that was described in this book as Bob explained his career. As someone who loves Disney I didn’t fully understand how big the company was and I loved learning more about it as he told his story and lessons learned to get there. I took away how being true to yourself and not let things like ego and others opinions get in the way. Follow your gut. Really enjoyed it!

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It’s a bit about Disney and a lot about magic

I appreciate Bob Iger’s integrity and great storytelling ability.
I was however disappointed that he did not read the book. It lost something for me in the narration, which is professional but not as engaging as listening to Bob would have been.
There are so many wonderful lessons to learn in this book; we’ll worth the investment of your time.

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A great book.

I truly loved the book. It went to deep details in my opinion. Robert Iger did a great job writing the book. He writes as if you really are there next to him when he is signing those amazing deals for Disney. Not just that, he gives the reader an idea on how he was before Disney as well as the transition from ABC to Disney. It was an easy read. Overall its great.

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All about character

I loved this book. Found it very inspiring. Loved that Bob’s ticket to success was integrity. The business story was very enthralling and I looked forward to hearing the book on my way to and from work.

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Wonderful.

Great narration and terrific subject matter. The way Bob has managed to weave practical advice into his stories is straight up Disney magic. I loved every minute of it.

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Great story full of insights and wisdom

Great book and summary of Bob's journey. However, I wouldn't mind Bob delving a bit more on some of the stories shared. Still a great source of knowledge and wisdom

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Inspirational

Really enjoyed this audio book! It is a inspirational journey that is even better as an audio book as it’s told as a story, just like the company! Plenty of hidden leadership gems and principles told from the front seat.

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Unique and extraordinary yet relatable

Inspiration for those who pursue creative work and leadership. 45 years of wisdom distilled into one concise book.

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  • Matt S.
  • 2020-01-02

Joins “Shoe Dog” as required biographies.

Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Loved the content, flow and length. Too many biographies are far too long. This book beautifully highlighted the career of Iger without a lot of the meaningless detail. Wish more biographies were written in this fashion.

28 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2019-11-10

Inspirational, but avoiding any controversy

Its a biography by a man leading one of the biggest politically correct corporations in the World, so there are no edges, no controversy, no true deep thoughts or reflections on bad decisions. Iger knows how to throw you a bone of buying Lucasfilm and sadness of Lucas, but never goes deep into Last Jedi fail against fandom, never tells story of James Gunn (even though tells story of firing Roseanne Barr)... Its very well ghostwriten, avoiding anything problematic, but what is the purpose then. Yeah, inspirational on leading, staying human and on the ground and building something really big. But it could have been really exceptional.

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  • Jason
  • 2019-09-29

Perfect insight in to the mind of Bob Iger

For years, I have admired watching the “Disney magic” performed by Bob Iger as President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Bob is an exceptional leader and I am a huge fan! If I could start over my career, I would want to spend as much time as possible under his tutelage and learn from his 45 years of wisdom and insights of leadership and hard work at Disney. In this book, he explains his background and how he climbed the corporate ladder. After becoming CEO, he discussed how Disney was able to find opportunities to add value to its brand. He gave a glimpse into how he devises a corporate strategy. He also talked about some of the things that keep him up at night and worry him the most, and what he did to address those challenges. He didn’t cover what a typical day in the office looks like but he provided some morsels of how he structures his time to ensure maximum productivity and personal development. Through his vignettes, he covered some of the qualities that make a person successful at leading a world-renowned organization. He also shared some of his thinking behind his spectacular acquisitions as CEO. He talked about his assessment process when analyzing those opportunities. Bob also talked about how he helped disrupt the traditional ways of thinking at Disney and prepared the company for a brighter future. As the public face for Disney, he shared his thoughts and feelings on how he handled controversies or responded to negative coverage. The early reviews of the book honed in on a passing comment made by Bob about Steve Jobs and how, if Steve had lived longer, there may have been an opportunity to merge Disney into Apple. I never fully appreciated the close relationship Bob had with Steve. I think Bob did very well in paying tribute to his good friend Steve Jobs. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing Disney build upon the successful legacy built by Bob Iger.

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  • seymour ubell
  • 2019-12-01

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I’VE EVER READ

I could not stop listening for a single moment
I felt compelled to digest every single word and
each description of Bob Iger’s incredible career.
This book is a must for Every business owner and executive

14 people found this helpful

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  • Robert
  • 2020-03-10

self-absorbed

If you're interested in listening to a dull play by play of Iger's career, this is the book. However be advised it is read in a tone that makes Iger come off as a pompous egoist. I barely made it through.

13 people found this helpful

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  • Clayton
  • 2020-06-12

This is the most boring self-congratulatory bio I’ve ever heard

This guy really loves himself and is not afraid to tell you all about how and why. I tried skipping chapters and seeing if it would get interesting and it didn’t.

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  • Dominique
  • 2020-01-03

A new perspective on leadership

Storytelling at its finest. Listening to this book felt like I was along for the ride of a lifetime. I love the way the journey was laid out and the lessons in innovation, honesty, negotiation and thoughtful leadership were woven in. This one will definitely make it to the bookshelf.

8 people found this helpful

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  • jbarons1
  • 2019-12-26

What a shame

Didn't know Iger's story but was excited to hear it as a fellow IC grad. Incredibly disappointed by what a small and insecure person he must be to write a story throwing stones at so many people in his life and career. Very few actual business lessons and most of the book is spent throwing unnecessary shade at numerous people while boasting about his own success. Want to learn what makes Disney an incredible business success? Read Lee Cockerell's book instead.

8 people found this helpful

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  • Diana Eldaba
  • 2020-05-06

The Book that can offer you a hundred decades of life

This is not just a book of a great story of a great man .. this is an extensive manual of how to be a real leader how to run a business correctly and more important not to lose yourself while reaching out to your goals. Listening to a very important phase of the American Media history through the autobiography of Bob is one of the things I would pay half of my life for because it adds 10 new lives to me .. I not only learned about how Bob managed the businesses he was responsible of but I learned as well about the essence of the leaders who impacted his life.. this book is a real treasure.

7 people found this helpful

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  • Michael W Linn
  • 2020-04-24

Hey look at how great I am!

I am sorry to write this but this is a self-review of how well Mr. Iger rates himself from a scale of 1 to incredibly awesome. He includes the word 'I' more than any other book I have read and offers no insightful leadership skills. His stories are about the billion dollar companies he purchased which are completely un-relatable for 99% of us.

7 people found this helpful

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  • Friot Clara
  • 2019-11-15

Sometimes genuine, sometimes corporate droll

Its hard to seperate the parts where Iger is genuinely sharing experience and wisdom, offering good advice and some insight in his years as a buisness man, from the parts where Disney s political correctness prevents all form of honnesty, confesion of guilt, ill intent and bad decion making. This book would have been better had it been released 3 years later, after Iger s retirement. As is, its an odd hybdride of honnest wisdoms gained from experiences told to us with a lack of honestly.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Anthony Barker
  • 2021-11-30

Boring American drivel

Boring and self agrandising... who will remember this guy in 500 years? Useless drivel.

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  • Florent
  • 2021-11-10

Très intéressant !

Belle introspective dans la peau d'un CEO de Disney. Simple et agréable à lire et à comprendre.

Bob Iger a tout mon respect.

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  • Philippe Dos Santos
  • 2021-06-22

Excellent

J’ai acheté ce livre audio en me fiant aux critiques dithyrambiques dont il fait l’objet. Elles sont totalement fondées, il s’agit clairement de l’un des meilleurs livres du genre. N’hésitez pas, vous ne le regretterez pas.

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  • Silver_Eagle
  • 2021-06-06

Superb!

Great insights and honest feedback on what challenges there are being all those big brands and legendary men that rock out world!

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  • Client d'Amazon
  • 2021-01-29

Amazing !

What an amazing story, so powerful and so inspiring !! A great book ! Robert Iger we love u !

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  • Lina
  • 2021-01-17

Incredible story of a great company

Amazing story of a CEO that took key decisions and described the challenges to take them.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2021-01-14

Great reading

Excellent book! Exciting from start to finish. I highly recommend it if you want to understand how Disney works and its recent developments.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2020-12-30

Great story

The author shares a great and fair description of his choice as CEO. Rich and interesting !

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  • Yasser E.
  • 2020-03-08

Incredible

Absolutely loved it. What a mentor, what a book, what insight. I strongly recommend it to anyone. Enjoy!