Rating: 8/10
Summary: The full title of the book is called: The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. In Robert (Bob) Iger's memoir, he describes the high- and low-lights of his career, his thought processes, and influential mentors and colleagues that molded him into the leader he is today. He takes the format of story telling to showcase his lessons; however, at the end of the book, he does a short recap of lessons.
Lessons I learned:
- Wake up early. Bob wakes up 4:15 AM in the morning, does not look at his phone, and works out everyday.
- It's who you know. Because he treated everyone with respect and built strong relationships over time, he made what seemed like impossible acquisitions happen because people like George Lucas and Steve Jobs trusted his work and knew that he had strong values and their best interests in mind.
- Take risks. The reoccurring theme to "innovate or die" highlighted the importance to adapt, grow, and go the path not taken for continuous success. Failure is inevitable so when one fails, take responsibility, view it as a learning opportunity, and move on.
- Compartmentalize. As the CEO, his schedule was packed and there were many decision, events, meeting, and discussions happening at all times of the day. He does his best to remain present, respect people's time, and focuses on the people and task in front of him.
- Be genuine & treat others with respect. Do your best to be emotionally consistent and fair.
- Know what you know and what you don't know. It's impossible for a single person to know everything so if you don't understand something, so ask questions! Learn as quickly as you can. Lastly, surround yourself with good, kind people and trust in their abilities and knowledge to fill in the gaps.
- Give mindful feedback. Keep in mind how much time and effort people put into their projects. Be direct and honest, but not petty. He says, "Don't start negatively and don't start small."
- Do your current job well. I'm guilty of letting ambition get ahead of opportunity. By the six month mark of starting a new job, I am already looking to level up and get a better title, more responsibilities, more money. Humble yourself & get the job done, whether it's a big undertaking or a small task. How you do one thing is how you do everything.
- Clear is kind, unclear is unkind. While this quote is from Brené Brown's book Dare to Lead, Bob also emphasized the importance of stating priorities clearly and repeatedly.
- Trust your gut. One of my favorite quotes from the book is "If something doesn't feel right to you, it won't be right for you."
The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Culver City's local book shop, Village Wells.