Bob Iger's first stint as CEO of The Walt Disney Company saw the company acquire Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars as he turned Disney into the biggest name in franchise entertainment.
But the success took a toll on his leadership abilities. In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street", Iger reflected on his time as CEO and identified flaws he believed he developed as he became more and more successful.
"I felt over time, because of all the experience I gained and the fact that it was a relatively successful run, that I got overconfident in my own instincts and my own decision making," Iger told David Faber. "I thought it caused me to be a little bit more dismissive of other people's ideas."
The 72-year-old Iger, who officially retired on Dec. 31, 2021, was only away from Disney for the first 11 months of 2022 before the company's board decided to replace his successor, Bob Chapek, and asked Iger to take his old job back.
After 11 months away from Disney, Iger said he's returning not only with plenty of energy and passion, but also "a lot of self-awareness."
With a restructuring plan in place that will give other decision-makers more power at the company, Iger expressed hope about the new direction Disney is moving in.
"I have a great team of people in place. I extended some of their responsibilities yesterday," he said. "I'm an optimist at heart. I feel great about being here. I feel great about where the company is today and where I believe we'll be able to take it."
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