Permission to Screw Up cover art

Permission to Screw Up

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

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Permission to Screw Up

By: Kristen Hadeed, Simon Sinek - foreword
Narrated by: Kristen Hadeed
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About this listen

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 10 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.

©2017 Kristen Hadeed (P)2017 Penguin Audio
Business Employment Entrepreneurship Leadership Career Inspiring

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 one.” (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)

What listeners say about Permission to Screw Up

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Good hearted and empowering story

I really resonated with Kristen and this book. Overall a very honest outlook on a real life leaders story. Worth a read for any young entrepreneur!

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A must listen, If you want to lead your team.

This is the best book I have listened to! Thanks for inspiring me Kristen! The way you describe leadership makes perfect sense and the fact that you share your biggest mistakes is such a change from the others. Well done

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refreshing and so true

i opeeate a totaly different business and see so many similarities. such a great read

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A must listen too

Loved it start to finish, I admire the honesty and a side of a story thats not just sunshine and rainbows

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From one imperfect leader to another

My story is of ‘what not to do in business’ and yet each year we grow. It is a painful and draining passion, with many learnings along the way. It was so refreshing to read/hear the lesson before the learning. Thoroughly enjoyed

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more information needed

I would like to understand a bit more concrete information about the size of the company at the different stages of growth, so that we can relate to it here in New Zealand.

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Fantastic lessons

Where does Permission to Screw Up rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is up there with some of the best books I’ve listened to.

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This is easy to listen to, and gave me what I needed it when I needed it. Think I’ll be re—listening to this one!

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The best book on leadership I've ever read!

Kirsten's story is raw, real and relatable. Her book made me laugh, cry and shared valuable lessons on leadership. This book is one of many leadership books I have read but it has quickly become my favourite. I could not stop listening.

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A fun business relationship book

Would you consider the audio edition of Permission to Screw Up to be better than the print version?

This is a great audio book, that reminds us that we are all human, we all make mistakes & everyone is a little bit different. Don't be afraid to try, even if you don't have all the answers (yet)

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Amazing read - Highly recommend

Thank you Kristen for your refreshingly honest take on leadership. I was captivated start to finish and appreciate all the takeaways your book has to offer.

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