I read it in one weekend and actually can’t wait until Monday so I can put some of these ideas into practice. How many business books have entire chapters on vulnerability at work AND back it up with sound business principles? How many business books so frankly stare embarrassing mistakes right in the face? I haven’t often found myself writing notes while reading career books but this one had my pen and mind flying with ideas. Kristen’s story was a breath of fresh air.

I’ve read a few business books in my day and have often found them to have the following flaws:ġ) They portray an impossibly idealized version of a business or a career.Ģ) They are often very self-congratulatory and some are so heavy with name-dropping you need a broom to sweep them all up.ģ) They tend to be somewhat brutal and old fashioned, bringing things to the table that, even if they are still in use, need to be moving out from the current business environment. I gave this book five stars for a number of reasons. 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. It encourages people of all ages to go for it and learn to lead by acting, rather than waiting or thinking. Permission to Screw Up dismisses the idea that leaders and organizations should try to be perfect. 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. 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. In fact, they were almost nothing at all.Īlong the way, Kristen got it wrong almost as often as she got it right. But Kristen and her company were no overnight sensation. 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. Hadeed unintentionally launched Student Maid while attending college ten years ago.

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. 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. 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.

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going