The Ride of a Lifetime - Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

GOOD THINGS CAN HAPPEN

At the beginning of this Chapter, Iger starts off by emphasising how much he learned from Michael, who was CEO of Disney at the time. For instance, the author learned a lot regarding how to run the business, but more significantly, he learned what the creative and design essence of the Disney parks should be.

Michael had excellent attention to detail skills and once he would spot something that could be improved, he demanded that it would be improved. As Iger comments, “That was the source of so much of his and the company’s success, and I had immense respect for Michael’s tendency to sweat the details. It showed how much he cared, and it made a difference. He understood that ‘great’ is often a collection of very small things, and he helped me appreciate that even more deeply.” This approach by Michael was defined as ‘micromanagement’.

Correspondingly, Iger once again stresses the importance of optimism. Accordingly, it is vastly important that in adversity and in times when only problems seem to appear, people have a leader who makes them feel assured in the capabilities of their leader to concentrate on what is significant and not to function with fear in mind. “This isn’t about saying things are good when they’re not, and it’s not about conveying some innate faith that ‘things will work out’.” It is about the people believing that their leader will ensure that the optimal solution to the circumstances is obtained; without creating an environment of pessimism, where everything feels lost to the people. Communicating in a confident, assured, assertive and optimistic way is the ideal way to lead.