---
title: "The campaign playbook"
description: "Scott Miller's ten-page deck for winning the Disney CEO job as a political campaign."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/the-campaign-playbook/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# The campaign playbook

> Scott Miller's ten-page deck for winning the Disney CEO job as a political campaign.

Robert Iger's framework, from The Ride of a Lifetime, pp. 20 to 121.

Framework 3 of 7 from [The Ride of a Lifetime](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/index.md) by Robert Iger. Category: Personal brand.

## The steps

1. **Treat it as a campaign.** Work out who has the votes, since the job is won by persuading a board.
2. **Sort the voters.** Separate those definitely in your corner, those who will never give you a chance and the swing voters.
3. **Focus on the swing voters.** Aim the message first at the handful who might take a flyer on you.
4. **Talk only about the future.** An incumbent cannot win on the defensive, so never rehash or defend the past.
5. **Act like an insurgent.** Frame it as a battle for the soul of the brand and talk about how to grow and protect its value.
6. **Pick only three priorities.** More than three and they stop being priorities and you seem unfocused.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Part One: Learning, pp. 20–121

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/the-campaign-playbook.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/the-campaign-playbook-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/the-campaign-playbook.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-ride-of-a-lifetime/the-campaign-playbook-dark.png