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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 (1,168 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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enjoyed it

I heard about this book being refenced from a podcast and I found it intresting hearing how iger became CEO and his dealings has disneys CEO

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