The Ride of a Lifetime / Das Vermächtnis meines Lebens
Lessons in Creative Leadership from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
Robert Iger
How does the CEO of one of the best-known corporations in the world think and act?
Wow, what a ride: in “The Ride of a Lifetime” (German: Das Vermächtnis meines Lebens), the former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, tells of his professional experiences and how they touched and shaped him as a person. I had actually brought the book along as vacation reading, but it is written so excitingly that I had already finished it on the 8-hour flight out! Normally I can't last an hour on a plane before falling asleep.
“If you don't innovate, you die.”
— The Ride of a lifetime, page 189
Everyone knows Disney, and many people associate great childhood memories with the name. That made it all the more exciting to learn what makes the leaders behind the name tick. What drives them? Why did they make this or that decision, and how do you actually run such a huge corporation? The reader finds an answer to all of these questions in “The Ride of a Lifetime”.
We learn how Robert Iger's career unfolded, which experiences shaped him and what (in his opinion) leadership is all about. In this review, you'll find out what excited me so much about the book, which leadership tips I'm taking away and why it is more than just a management guide.
Which topic and problem does the book “The Ride of a Lifetime” address?
What makes good leadership, how do I reinvent my company and what should you pay attention to as a leader? These are exactly the questions Robert Iger tries to answer. The book is much more than the usual (very theoretical) management guides. Because of the closeness we (pretty much all of us) feel to Disney, you get the feeling of having a personal connection to the story, because all of us have benefited from the effects of these decisions in one way or another: be it a new Star Wars movie, the releases of various Pixar and Marvel movies or a visit to one of the Disney theme parks. That is exactly what makes the book special: a personal, emotional relationship with Robert Iger's story. His strategic decisions, his approach and his visions are relatable and tell a fantastic story.
“What‘s the problem I need to solve? Does this solution make sense? If I‘m feeling some doubt, why?”
— the ride of a lifetime, page 65
The problems Robert Iger has to solve over the course of his career are often exactly the experiences every leader of a company runs into at some point.
- How do I disrupt my own company?
- Which vision do I want to pursue, and how do I outline it as part of a strategy?
- How do I prioritize correctly, and why does it matter?
- How do I deal with criticism and difficult employees?
- How do I find allies for my ideas?
- Why is it so important as a leader to take big risks?
- How do I tell a story around my actions that inspires the people around me?
- …and why are interpersonal relationships so important?
Robert Iger addresses all of these topics - always in connection with a personal experience. That is why it is so exciting to follow his account, and exactly that sets it apart from many dry guidebooks.
Who is the book “The Ride of a Lifetime” for?
Robert Iger mainly has in mind people who have to lead companies and people. Still, “The Ride of a Lifetime” is definitely not just a book for “people leaders” and managers! In my opinion, it contains many lessons that concern everyone at work: be it the careful and effective use of your own time (and that of others), the right focus on our tasks or collaboration in fast and successful teams.
“I didn‘t want to be in the business of playing it safe. I wanted to be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.”
— the ride of a lifetime, page 45
I was surprised that “newfangled” topics such as New Work were already relevant many years ago, and how early some leaders were thinking about them. What is the job of leaders in a company?
“A company's culture is shaped by a lot of things, but this is the most important - you have to convey your priorities clearly and repeatedly. […] If leaders don‘t articulate their priorities clearly, then the people around them don‘t know what their own priorities should be.”
— the ride of a lifetime, page 100
I recommend the book to all "leaders", but also to those who want to take on leadership responsibility now or later, be it for people, projects or organizations.
My personal opinion
The cover of the book (the stage, in the Kindle version) already promises a lot: big cinema – and that is exactly what “The Ride of a Lifetime” is. It wasn't only the way Robert Iger tells his story that fascinated me, it was also the story as a whole. He always talked about the “creative business”, and that is exactly “where the crux lies”: all companies, not just the film industry, have to keep becoming creative if they don't want to fall victim to disruption.
“I know why companies fail to innovate. It‘s tradition. Tradition generates so much friction, every step of the way.”
— the ride of a lifetime, page 196
It was surprising for me to learn what Steve Jobs had to do with some important milestones at Disney (I won't give away more at this point). I liked that Robert Iger keeps referring to his own experiences, because funnily enough, they can again and again be connected with your own.
“I‘ve found that often people will focus on little details as a way of masking a lack of any clear, coherent, big thoughts. […] Their focus on the small things in the distance became a problem.”
— The ride of a lifetime, page 43 + 67
Robert Iger carefully avoids trying to write a non-fiction book full of theory. Thank you! He tells a story about successful leadership and takes us readers along on the exciting journey.
“Good leadership isn‘t about being indispensable; it‘s about helping others prepare to possibly step into your shoes - giving them access to your own decision making, identifying the skills they need to develop and helping them improve, and, as I‘ve had to do, sometimes being honest with them about why they‘re not ready for the next step up.”
— the ride of a lifetime, page 67
This time I included more quotes in the review and left them in the original English, since I also read the book in English. By now, “The Ride of a Lifetime” is also available in German under the title “Das Vermächtnis meines Lebens“. Besides an exciting story, I was able to take away a number of tips on leadership: on content, personal, organizational but also human ones. Because that, too, was something Robert Iger kept emphasizing: success doesn't result from topics but from relationships with very special people, and the most important (strategic) decisions are rarely planned and thought through long in advance, but are mostly the result of good gut feeling and instinct.