Matthew LaPine's Reviews > The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Bob Iger takes us on a narrative of his many successes in life and in his career starting at ABC, leading to Disney and the overall leadership of Disney, where he orchestrated a series of acquisitions including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox, creating a media conglomerate like no other.

While guiding principles are offered at the beginning and at the end, the 90% of the book in between comes across as a recitation of all the opportunities, insights, deals, etc. only Bob could see and lead people through, and all the flaws and defects in all the poor people around him. I have to believe that the numerous people he dissed in his story were probably pretty angry when they saw what he had to say about them.

Yet he glosses over his failed first marriage, his complete dropping of the ball in informing George Lucas that they weren't going with the story lines he had planned for the final 3 Star Wars installments, and other unforced errors on his part.

He also fails to weave the principles stated at the beginning and the end successfully into the narrative in between. Thus as a leadership book, it falls flat.

The one redeeming feature is the narrative of his interactions with the late Steve Jobs during and after the acquisition of Pixar. Definitely not a dry eye in the house.

If you're looking for a leadership book, there are many far better choices.