Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong by Kristen Hadeed

The book ‘Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong’ by Kristen Hadeed explores the idea of embracing failures to become better leaders. Hadeed’s journey began when, as a college student, she founded a student organization in 2007, Student Maid, with a 'hire and train strategy'.

As a rebellious and nonconforming leader she has been presented with various difficulties and she shares her story of mistakes and successes throughout the book. The goal is to inspire others to take calculated risks and to lead without the fear of failure.

The book consists of Hadeed’s personal account along with lessons she has learned on how to become a better leader. In the first section, Hadeed outlines that an important thing that is hard to teach someone is confidence and having the courage to try things and test things out. She speaks to the importance of knowing yourself and understanding what kind of leader you are and how you can leverage this to become more competent and inspiring.

Moreover, Hadeed notes that it is important for managers to learn how to trust their employees and how to empower them. She emphasizes the idea of letting go of micromanaging and creating an environment of trust, which will enable employees to make mistakes and to learn from them. This teaches the team how to problem-solve, takes some of the pressure off the manager and encourages within the organization.

In the second section, Hadeed covers the concept of ‘constructive dissent’ and the belief that disagreement with constructive criticism is healthy and should be embraced instead of shying away from it. Successful leaders encourage thoughtful feedback instead of cowering from it. This allows for space for growth and development and can aid in driving successful organizational change.

In the last section, Hadeed talks about the importance of taking risks. She argues that if one can minimize the consequences of blunders, they can be made, and in fact, should be made. By taking risks and running experiments one can gain invaluable knowledge, which leads to a deeper understanding of the situation and the development of innovative solutions.

The book ‘Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong’ is an inspiring read that encourages managers to leverage their strengths to become competent leaders. It encourages them to trust their team and to embrace constructive feedback. Finally, it reminds them to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them. Given the core message of the book – that failure is part of the process and should be embraced for growth purposes – it is clear why it is such a valuable read for any aspiring leader.