Kristen Hadeed

First off, I want to say I enjoyed Permission To Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed and had my share of laughs and chuckles while reading it and shaking my head. BUT, I would not classify this as a guide to success. It reads more like a biography than a How To Succeed story. I feel Kristen Hadeed had a great idea and stumbled her way into success, but many others would fail if they followed her path.

It all started with a pair of $100 jeans, that her parents wouldn’t buy for her, and an ad on Craig’s list to clean houses. Just goes to show, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I tossed most of the notes I took as I sat here trying to write this review. Like any nonfiction book, you take the information that works for you and you leave the stuff that doesn’t.

Millennials – 1982 to 2004. I like that Kristen was upfront about her mistakes and her feelings about millennials. It’s just like any generalization, it doesn’t apply to everyone.

When she blew off checking into her trademark before using it, I thought that about summed up my opinion of some of the pitfalls of millennials. They can be lazy. They are handicapped, only have one hand available, because they have their phone in the other one. They think Google has all the answers and their parents will take care of everything for them. But, again, this is only a generalization and doesn’t apply to all millennials.

I like that she wasn’t too proud to ask for help, and find the place to get the answers she needed, though it’s not like she didn’t try to have someone do it for her…at times.

I like that she talks about the Participation Generation, where you get rewards just for showing up. Helicopter parents – parents who hover, overprotective, over involved, and over indulging their children. How can a person like that accept criticism. Kristen learned that there is “a time for pep talks and a time for reality checks.”

I like that at the end of each chapter is a quick summary that hits the highlights.

I do look at this as her story, not so much a business book. She does share some helpful hints and reminds us that even the most experienced leader can learn something new and improve their leadership style. She does share her thoughts about the value of employees being happy, even while mopping floors or cleaning toilets.

Would I recommend Permission To Screw Up? Yes, especially for the younger generation and the beginning entrepreneur, to show that mistakes are not failures, just learning experiences. Also, for anyone who likes to read biographies, Kristen Hadeed does have a fun and interesting story to tell.

I borrowed a copy of Permission To Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed from a friend.… (meer)