Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Permission to Screw Up cover art

Permission to Screw Up

By: Kristen Hadeed, Simon Sinek - foreword
Narrated by: Kristen Hadeed
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

Follow the Leader - a Collection of the Best Lectures on Leadership cover art
Delivering Happiness cover art
Don't Just Manage - Lead! cover art
Move Your Bus cover art
Tribes cover art
The Coaching Habit cover art
Rules for Renegades cover art
Extreme Ownership cover art
Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter cover art
No Bullsh*t Leadership cover art
Virtual Culture cover art
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job cover art
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy cover art
Principles cover art
Everything Is Negotiable cover art
TED Talks cover art

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 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

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

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    207
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    191
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    192
  • 4 Stars
    38
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Refreshing and inspiring

I refer all of my friends who start their first businesses to this book. Gives effective perspective both in professional and personal life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One extraordinary honest book

I just LOVED this book, particularly because it gives you the full picture - the ups and downs, the lessons and failures.

The audio was also great, Kristen is a great, engaging narrator! Thumbs up!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Read more, learn more, read more.

I never had to read soo many other books after listening to this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

a truly honest entrepreneurs journey

Kristen delivers a no holding back step by step account. some real surprising honestly from a successful entrepreneur

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book,

Loved this book. Well written, well thought through. Really fascinating to read /listen. I have finished it really fast.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring listen, some key messages lost in the story

Good points made throughout the authors leadership journey. Useful for the aspiring leader and individual moving from management, towards mentoring and ultimately leadership.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read for Entrepreneurs

Probably the best book I have listened to on audible. Absolutely Fantastic. Kirsten is an inspiring leader who helps us understand it's ok to get things wrong and it's ok for your team to get it wrong. it helped me recreate my company culture and revisit my core values. thank you Kirsten Hadeed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

easy to listen

Kristen is inspiring and cheerful. Its definitely a feel-good listen. It gives lots of helpful insights. I am now going to purchase a book by Tony Hsieh that Kristen recommends.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Transformational

A refreshing story of leadership. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned leader or starting life, this honest and engaging book is well worth your time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

🤯

Absolutely loved it, will listen again and have already recommended it to friends. Inspiring!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!