Permission to Screw Up

How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong

By: Kristen Hadeed, Simon Sinek - introduction

Narrated by: Kristen Hadeed

The inspiring, unlikely, laugh-out-loud story of how one woman learned to lead–and how she ultimately succeeded, not despite her many mistakes, but because of them.

This is the story of how Kristen Hadeed built Student Maid, a cleaning company where people are happy, loyal, productive, and empowered, even while they’re mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. It’s the story of how she went from being an almost comically inept leader to a sought-after CEO who teaches others how to lead.

Hadeed unintentionally launched Student Maid while attending college ten years ago. Since then, Student Maid has employed hundreds of students and is widely recognized for its industry-leading retention rate and its culture of trust and accountability. But Kristen and her company were no overnight sensa­tion. In fact, they were almost nothing at all.

Along the way, Kristen got it wrong almost as often as she got it right. Giving out hugs instead of feed­back, fixing errors instead of enforcing accountability, and hosting parties instead of cultivating meaning­ful relationships were just a few of her many mistakes. But Kristen’s willingness to admit and learn from those mistakes helped her give her people the chance to learn from their own screwups too.

Permission to Screw Up dismisses the idea that leaders and orga­nizations should try to be perfect. It encourages people of all ages to go for it and learn to lead by acting, rather than waiting or thinking. Through a brutally honest and often hilarious account of her own strug­gles, Kristen encourages us to embrace our failures and proves that we’ll be better leaders when we do.

Critic reviews

“A brave and generous book, the ideal antidote to the perfection and invulnerability we pretend are essential to succeed.”
—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin and Tribes

“If you’re looking for the sunshine and rainbows version of success, this isn’t the story for you. If you’re looking for the down-to-earth, nitty-gritty, honest journey of a leader, proceed to chapter 1.”
—Susan Cain, author of Quiet

“Permission to Screw Up pulls back the curtains and reveals what it’s really like to be a leader—a must read for anyone who wants to start a company. Kristen isn’t afraid to own up to the mistakes she’s made along the way, and encourages us to do the same.”
—Kip Tindell, cofounder and chairman of The Container Store

“As a fellow entrepreneur and CEO, I say hallelujah to one of us finally admitting out loud that despite the success, most of us get it wrong more than we get it right. Kristen tells the truth in such an entertaining and informative way, that anyone contemplating starting a business or leading a team will no doubt be inspired after reading this book.”
—Raegan Moya-Jones, cofounder and CEO of Aden + Anais

"Boooom! Kristen Hadeed is a bona fide millennial badass. Her story is an inspiring read for anyone who's got the guts and tenacity to be a high impact leader. This book is a master class on how to create a brilliant culture that drives big results."
—Sarah Robb O’Hagan, CEO of Flywheel Sports and author of Extreme You

“Permission to Screw Up is incredibly inspiring. Thank you, Kristen, for having the courage to admit that you aren’t perfect and for reminding us that no one is. We can still get it wrong—a lot—and be considered a success. No matter where you are in life, I promise you will get something out of this book.”
—Anne V, supermodel

How did I ever lead without this?

Kristen came to speak at my school, La Sierra University, I was only able to stay for the first of three hours and as soon as I left to my office I purchased her book. I couldn't stop listening to it as I typed and texted to get work done. I listened to her on my drive home and as I cleaned my house - it only felt right. I though about how grateful I was for her rawness, her honesty, and creativeness of reminding us that millennials deserve to be seen beyond a black and white line. She shared the struggles within her company, practical ways she solved them, and her role in it's failures and successes. As a millennial leading and working with other millennials her experience reshaped my core values for serving my campus.
It's easy to listen to her and stay engaged.

Just what I needed

I have been in leadership in one fashion or another most of my “adult” life. I had taken a online class where Kristen was the host, it was about how to accept and receive effective feedback. I absolutely loved it and immediately got her book. After listening to her stories and the hard journey I connected with almost ever single part. It was exactly what I needed right now for my life. It has given me permission to be human and know to be imperfect is okay and I can still hold myself in high regard. I’m looking forward to sharing this with my leadership team and more. Thank you for having courage to be honest about your journey.

I love it. encouraging, helpful, and emotional

I am perfectly imperfect and a millennial. this book is refreshing and made me cry.

Perfect

This is a perfect book for anyone in a leader position! The real the honest everything. Loved it

Freedom to fail.

I loved the simplicity and honesty of this book. more or this type of leadership guidance is needed in our world. the way it was written flowed nicely from one section to the other. Lots of quotables to use.