Bob Iger is an American businessman best known for his 15 years at the helm of Disney as CEO. During that time, he accomplished quite a bit, including growing one of the world’s largest and most respected media companies. After a decade and a half under the guidance of Iger, Disney is in a better position financially and creatively than any other period in their existence. We’ve gathered three key lessons you can learn from Bob Iger’s time in charge.

Number one, create a resolute focus on your outcomes. In his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, published in 2019, Iger set out his core strategy for revitalizing fortunes at Disney. He put his focus on three core goals. Number one, increase the amount of high-quality branded content. Number two, advance technologically, both in our ability to create more compelling products and to deliver those products to consumers. And number three, grow globally. These three goals are specific enough to be measurable, yet broad enough to allow for flexibility in the decision-making process. Ensure you have no more than five overarching goals for your organization and that they are clear, concise and compelling.

Number two, execute like crazy. One of the fundamental tenets for Bob Iger was to move from strategy to execution. Whether it was the more than 40 trips he took during the planning of the $6 billion Disneyland Shanghai deal or the acquisition of some of the most compelling content producers in Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilms, Iger knew it wasn’t enough just to set goals. He had to ruthlessly focus on execution and implementation. He set lofty strategic objectives and took bold moves to get there. Once you have an agreement on your key goals, you need to build in time to implement. In most organizations, running a 90-day sprint focused on execution is long enough to make progress but not too long that you lose sight of the overarching goal.

And number three, invest in the people around you. In a New York Times article published in 2020, Iger was referred to as operating within a cult of nice. His interpersonal interactions with people, both inside the company and outside, reflect a lack of ego. That was most apparent in his desire to ensure that customers and staff at Disney were treated fairly and with respect. For each of the acquisitions, he spent time ensuring that the people who were integrating into Disney knew that they were valued and appreciated, as that is where the success or failure on the mergers lie. He did this predominantly by promoting the culture of curiosity and optimism in Disney to new employees and encouraging them to embrace the excitement of change rather than worry about it.

Even with a ruthless focus on execution, it’s crucial to view your people as your most valuable assets and to develop them accordingly. Ultimately, they are the ones who will help build your legacy.

1. helm n. a handle or wheel used for steering a boat or ship 舵柄；舵轮

2. memoir n. an account written by sb., especially sb. famous, about their life and experiences（尤指名人的）回忆录；自传

3. tenet n. (formal) one of the principles or beliefs that a theory or larger set of beliefs is based on 原则；信条；教义

4. ego n. your sense of your own value and importance 自我价值感

5. merger n. the act of joining two or more organizations or businesses into one（机构或企业的）合并，归并

6. legacy n. money or property that is given to you by sb. when they die 遗产

Bob Iger is an American businessman best known for his 15 years at the helm of Disney as CEO. During that time, he accomplished quite a bit, including growing one of the world’s largest and most respected media companies. After a decade and a half under the guidance of Iger, Disney is in a better position financially and creatively than any other period in their existence. We’ve gathered three key lessons you can learn from Bob Iger’s time in charge.

Number one, create (Q1) ________________________ on your outcomes. In his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, published in 2019, Iger set out his core strategy for revitalizing fortunes at Disney. He put his focus on three core goals. Number one, increase the amount of (Q2) ______________________. Number two, (Q3) __________________________, both in our ability to create more compelling products and to deliver those products to consumers. And number three, (Q4) _________________. These three goals are specific enough to be measurable, yet broad enough to allow for flexibility in the decision-making process. Ensure you have no more than five overarching goals for your organization and that they are clear, concise and compelling.

Number two, (Q5) _____________________. One of the fundamental tenets for Bob Iger was to move from strategy to execution. Whether it was the more than 40 trips he took during the planning of the $6 billion Disneyland Shanghai deal or the acquisition of some of the most compelling content producers in Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilms, Iger knew it wasn’t enough just to (Q6) ____________. He had to ruthlessly focus on (Q7) ______________________________. He set lofty strategic objectives and took bold moves to get there. Once you have an agreement on your key goals, you need to build in time to implement. In most organizations, running a 90-day sprint focused on execution is long enough to make progress but not too long that you lose sight of the overarching goal.

And number three, (Q8) ________________________. In a New York Times article published in 2020, Iger was referred to as operating within a cult of nice. His interpersonal interactions with people, both inside the company and outside, reflect a lack of ego. That was most apparent in his desire to ensure that customers and staff at Disney were treated fairly and with respect. For each of the acquisitions, he spent time ensuring that the people who were integrating into Disney knew that they were valued and appreciated, as that is where the (Q9) ___________________ on the mergers lie. He did this predominantly by promoting the culture of (Q10) _____________________ in Disney to new employees and encouraging them to embrace the excitement of change rather than worry about it.

Even with a ruthless focus on execution, it’s crucial to view your people as your most valuable assets and to develop them accordingly. Ultimately, they are the ones who will help build your legacy.

Bob Iger is an American businessman best known for his 15 years at the helm of Disney as CEO. During that time, he accomplished quite a bit, including growing one of the world’s largest and most respected media companies. After a decade and a half under the guidance of Iger, Disney is in a better position financially and creatively than any other period in their existence. We’ve gathered three key lessons you can learn from Bob Iger’s time in charge.

Number one, create (Q1) a resolute focus on your outcomes. In his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, published in 2019, Iger set out his core strategy for revitalizing fortunes at Disney. He put his focus on three core goals. Number one, increase the amount of (Q2) high-quality branded content. Number two, (Q3) advance technologically, both in our ability to create more compelling products and to deliver those products to consumers. And number three, (Q4) grow globally. These three goals are specific enough to be measurable, yet broad enough to allow for flexibility in the decision-making process. Ensure you have no more than five overarching goals for your organization and that they are clear, concise and compelling.

Number two, (Q5) execute like crazy. One of the fundamental tenets for Bob Iger was to move from strategy to execution. Whether it was the more than 40 trips he took during the planning of the $6 billion Disneyland Shanghai deal or the acquisition of some of the most compelling content producers in Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilms, Iger knew it wasn’t enough just to (Q6) set goals. He had to ruthlessly focus on (Q7) execution and implementation. He set lofty strategic objectives and took bold moves to get there. Once you have an agreement on your key goals, you need to build in time to implement. In most organizations, running a 90-day sprint focused on execution is long enough to make progress but not too long that you lose sight of the overarching goal.

And number three, (Q8) invest in the people around you. In a New York Times article published in 2020, Iger was referred to as operating within a cult of nice. His interpersonal interactions with people, both inside the company and outside, reflect a lack of ego. That was most apparent in his desire to ensure that customers and staff at Disney were treated fairly and with respect. For each of the acquisitions, he spent time ensuring that the people who were integrating into Disney knew that they were valued and appreciated, as that is where the (Q9) success or failure on the mergers lie. He did this predominantly by promoting the culture of (Q10) curiosity and optimism in Disney to new employees and encouraging them to embrace the excitement of change rather than worry about it.

Even with a ruthless focus on execution, it’s crucial to view your people as your most valuable assets and to develop them accordingly. Ultimately, they are the ones who will help build your legacy.