The First Draft

If you’ve read my blog posts, it’s pretty evident that I love Disney. So when I heard Bob Iger was releasing a book, it was immediately on my Goodreads list.

It took me a while to get to it, but I’m happy to say I finished it, and even more happy to say I throughly enjoyed reading it. If you’re interested in Disney and how it got to where it is today, it’s a must-read. If you’re a leader in any way, it’s a must-read. And if you’re not, I still highly recommend it.

Throughout the book we follow Bob through his career, from the time he was a kid to when he took over the Walt Disney Company and made it what it is today. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d really like it that much. After all, it’s a book about business. But it’s so much more than that.

It’s a book about dreams and relationships and navigating a career. It’s about how to handle difficult situations and people. It’s about how to build a business strategically and form meaningful relationships with the people who wi help you get there.

Some of my favorite parts of the book are about Iger’s interactions with other CEOs. Specifically Steve Jobs. I was born in 1997, so by the time I really understood what Jobs had done, he was gone. To me, he seems like a somewhat mythical being. A historical figure of sorts that is responsible for the beginning of the innovations that seem almost mundane now. Needless today, it was fascinating to read about working Jobs from the viewpoint of one of his friends.

Another key takeaway for me is something Iger learned early in his career: Innovate or die. I work in advertising, and we are constantly moving and updating and trying to figure out new ways to streamline processes. “Innovate or die” is something that can pertain to so many fields, after all.

Needless to say, I loved it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking to add some non-fiction to their reading lists!