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Permission to Screw Up cover art

Permission to Screw Up

Written by: Kristen Hadeed,Simon Sinek - foreword
Narrated by: Kristen Hadeed
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Publisher's Summary

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 screw-ups, 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

What the critics say

"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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musl listen to this book!

excellent book! i love that it is read by the autor :) really interesting! i want more

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Good story with useful info

I liked Kristen’s willingness to be vulnerable and put culture as her priority. The book is a good refresher on what it takes to keep a team together.

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Rereshing

One of the most enjoyable leadership books! As an entrepreneur I felt like she was telling my story. So much of it was very relatable. Unlike other success in business books, she is very open about her failures and the learning process. It is filled with many great pearls of wisdom, but also shares the growing pains she endured and is quite emotionally engaging. Very easy to listen to.

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a good listen

the book itself was great a lot of fun stories to listen to and great insight.

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So Relatable!!!

I could listen to this more than once and I will!! I also run a Cleaning/Home Management biz! I learned so much from this book. Wish Kristen would write a follow up on it. Our industry is huge but lacks leadership books on the real stories. Maybe one day I ill write mine. Loved this book!!!

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Inspiring & truthful business book

Truly impressed with the honestly of the joys and stress behind running a business. This book has assisted me in celebrating the wins and embracing the lessons behind the mistakes that have or will happen in my business. It has also opened my eyes on how I can become a better leader. I am grateful for taking the time to enjoy this book. Thank you!

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Must Read

Very engaging book with allot of raw experiences that put the spotlight on the struggles of new entrepreneurs

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A refreshing perspective with empathy and humility

this book is definitely not a typical management book, and that's a good thing. I have a lot of respect for the true confidence the writer has for being able to show humility, in order to raise awareness and change minds about how leaders are traditionally expected to be. I have taken several major points from this book to our organization. I hope this book inspires more leaders to lead with empathy and humility.

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Enjoyable

Fantastic storytelling. One of the best business leadership books to listen to. Concepts well thought out. she screws up like we all do, she just admits it in true form.

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Informative, Inspirational, and Relatable

I loved every minute of this book. I couldn't stop listening! I connected deeply to Kristen's story. Her vulnerability, honesty, authenticity, and humour were captivating and and made me feel less alone on my entrepreneurial journey. I have read dozens of leadership and culture books and this by far was one of the best! I highly recommend!

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