Disney is not what it was when Bob Iger left. Does he have the magic touch to turn it around?
The first Disney CEO who actually grew Disney, Bob Iger, is now in charge of the company.
No one would ever guess it from watching clips from earlier announcements.
Iger has made some stunning moves over the past year and a half. His appointment was in part a reaction to what happened to other corporations under CEO transition.
When you look at the rest of the world, the transition from CEO to CEO doesn’t go as smoothly. Why?
The reason is human nature. We always want to see the hero in our company. Who’s our hero?
We want to see someone who will make changes, turn things around, and make things better. But if you can’t do that, you’ll just be the CEO you were before.
You don’t get a big raise, new toys, or a free trip to Disneyland. There is just less of you to go around.
It’s the same with this CEO transition issue. It’s human nature. But Iger is different. He’s a show-off. He’s been doing that for years.
Let’s start with the most popular character on the Disney ride, Bob Iger.
Iger was not hired by Disney as their first CEO. He was hired when Disney bought The Walt Disney Company (which owned ABC, ESPN, and ABC Radio), and Iger was their chief operating officer.
He ran the company and its subsidiaries for 30 years, starting in 1983 to 2010. He did it with his charming manner and no-nonsense attitude. He was their CEO for three decades.
Iger is a show-off. He does what he’s good at, and he does it very well.
Bob Iger isn’t a Disney character. He’s a show-off.
Let’s look at the rest of his resume. In the early 1980s, Disney bought Disney-ABC, the parent company of ABC Radio. In 1994, Disney bought the Fox network, the biggest television network in America.
Bob Iger started his career as a TV executive. In 1985, he ran Buena Vista Television, now a part of NBC Universal. In 1986, he
