The Ride of a Lifetime book club questions

1. 1.

   Iger's three strategic priorities guided fifteen years of acquisitions and investments. How unusual is that level of strategic consistency? What organizational conditions make it possible?

2. 2.

   The Pixar acquisition required Iger to repair a personal relationship with Steve Jobs. How did Iger approach that, and what does it suggest about the role of interpersonal relationships in major strategic transactions?

3. 3.

   Iger describes being decisive with incomplete information. How do you calibrate the right threshold for action — not so low that you act recklessly, not so high that you act too late?

4. 4.

   Disney's acquisition strategy under Iger was acquisitions of creative assets. What is the theory of value creation behind that strategy, and what assumptions does it require to be true?

5. 5.

   Iger left Pixar's creative culture intact after acquisition. What made that the right decision, and what conditions would have made integration more appropriate?

6. 6.

   The book ends before the Disney+ streaming service was fully tested in the market. What does the Disney+ story — and the streaming wars broadly — say about Iger's technology embrace strategy?

7. 7.

   Iger's portraits of Steve Jobs and George Lucas are among the most vivid in the book. What do they tell you about how to work with deeply creative, difficult partners?

8. 8.

   The #MeToo revelations about John Lasseter emerged after the book was complete and create an awkward tension in how he's described. What does that remind you about the limits of personal knowledge in assessing leaders?

9. 9.

   Iger describes optimism as a leadership responsibility. What's the difference between genuine optimism and toxic positivity? How do you lead with optimism while still being honest about risks?

10. 10.

    What is the leadership lesson from how Iger handled his succession — the multiple planned retirements and returns? What does it say about CEO transitions at large organizations?

11. 11.

    Disney under Iger was criticized for relying too heavily on sequels and franchise properties. Does that criticism coexist with his legacy of great acquisitions, or does it undermine it?

12. 12.

    What is the single most transferable leadership lesson from Iger's tenure at Disney that applies outside the entertainment industry?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.