Things I Learn #1: "Ride of a Lifetime" by Robert Iger

Hello everyone! In this blog, I will be compiling what I have learned and the notable parts from a book that I read every week. The first book is “Ride of a Lifetime” by Robert Iger. I have learned a lot about leadership, determination, humility, and focus from this book. It tells the journey of Robert Iger, who served as the CEO of Disney for 15 years. I hope you find it beneficial and enjoy reading it.

Iger’s 10 principles were optimism, courage, focus, decisiveness, curiosity, fairness, thoughtfulness, authenticity, the relentless pursuit of perfection, and integrity.

He says that his curiosity about the world is attributed to his father. His father had study rooms filled with books and he had read them all. His father used to control whether Iger spent his time productively. “Spending productive time meant doing homework or engaging in something that would make me better.” He wanted my sister and me to have fun, but it was also important to him that we use our time wisely and work towards achieving our goals. I’m sure I inherited my diligent behavior regarding time management from him,” he says. What caught my attention in this passage is his mention of striving to make oneself better.?Without realizing it, he operates from a perspective that if we improve ourselves by just one percent every day, we will become 37 times better by the end of the year.

The first injustice he faced is quite impressive. His first boss accused him of embezzlement and unjustly told him, “You will never be promoted again.” As a result, he started looking for another job instead of staying at the one he had, which was a studio position for ABC Television. With the support of Frank Sinatra, he ended up working for ABC Sports, which he claims was the turning point that made him more sophisticated.?I was impressed by his determination not to succumb to negativity and to continue pursuing opportunities.

One guiding principle that Iger frequently brought to mind and used as CEO of Disney was a statement from Roone Arledge, who was in charge of ABC Sports at the time. It goes,?“Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.”?One of the most important things he learned from Roone was, “Do whatever it takes to make something better.” I found it amusing to mention another incident. One day, Roone asked Iger how things were going. Iger replied,?“Some days, I feel like I’m going to drown in problems.” Roone then said, “Well, then get yourself a longer snorkel.” I think the book truly conveys Iger’s courage and his thirst for learning.

I believe we feel Iger’s courage and his thirst for learning most strongly when he is asked to take over as head of ABC Entertainment. Knowing that he was not that competent, he accepted the position after hearing the following words from his wife: “Life is an adventure, and if you don’t choose the adventurous path, you’re not really living.” After starting the job, he believes that inexperience cannot be an excuse for failure and, as a leader, he approaches his entire team without pretending, asking them everything he needs to know, admitting when he doesn’t understand something without hesitating to apologize, and trying to understand as quickly as possible. I think these attitudes clearly demonstrate how good of a leader he is and contribute to his success.

The process of taking over Disney was truly challenging for him. Despite being the only candidate within the company, he went through interviews and faced difficult situations as if he were an external candidate for six months. Throughout this process, he focused on conveying his vision to the board of directors and other people, leaving behind many things done while he was there and admitting his own mistakes, all while maintaining patience during this lengthy and difficult process. It was his vision for the future, leaving the past of the company aside, that ultimately allowed him to become the CEO.

He worked for the same company for 45 years, doing 20 different jobs and working with 14 different bosses. He started as the lowest-level team member in a daytime soap opera and went on to manage a network that created some of the most innovative television programs of all time. In the book, he recounts his experiences during his 15-year tenure as CEO.?“I acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. I envisioned the entertainment industry together with Steve Jobs. I became the guardian of George Lucas’s Star Wars mythology.”

I highly recommend this book as it allows you to understand what leadership, patience, determination, and hard work truly mean.

Here are a few points on leadership that I constantly revisit:

• Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.
• Ask the questions you need to ask, admit when you don’t understand something without hesitating to apologize, and make an effort to learn what you need to learn as quickly as possible.
• Managing creativity is an art, not a science. When expressing your opinions, remember how much dedication and what they stand to lose the person you’re talking to has invested in the project.
• Don’t let ambition overshadow opportunities.
• Do your current job well, be patient, seek opportunities where you can contribute, grow, and develop, and when an opportunity arises, be the person your bosses turn to with your attitude, energy, and focus.
• If you’re in the business of making something, be in the business of making something great.
• If something doesn’t feel right to you, then it’s probably not right for you