Book overview
The hardest person to lead is yourself.
For more than a decade, Kristen Hadeed defined herself as a servant leader. As the founder and CEO of a company widely recognized for its compassionate culture and the author of Permission to Screw Up, she made sure her people came first, always.
But after years of pouring everything she had into her business and her leadership, Kristen came face-to-face with a hard truth: Behind closed doors, she felt trapped beneath the weight of carrying it all. She had built a career around putting others first and abandoned herself in the process. The work she once loved was now tangled up in a web of pressure and expectations.
From the outside, she appeared to have it all together. But inside, she was falling apart.
Human Leadership is Kristen's raw, personal account of losing herself in service to others and the difficult work of finding her way back. It's a story of burnout, ambition, resentment, grief, reinvention, profound self-examination, and the courage it takes to share what you discover with the people around you. By learning to face herself, tell the truth, and take ownership of her choices, Kristen became a more courageous, compassionate leader and built a life and business that would take care of her, too.
Kristen's journey shows that leadership doesn't have to mean endless sacrifice or self-abandonment. Human Leadership offers a different path--one where courage, honesty, and humanity become the foundation of meaningful leadership and a meaningful life. Part memoir, part invitation, Kristen's story will empower you to:
- Recognize the values, fears, and limiting beliefs driving your leadership choices
- Communicate more honestly with yourself and the people you lead
- Navigate change, guilt, and difficult decisions with greater compassion
- Build trust and connection without abandoning your boundaries or yourself
- Recognize when frustration is pointing to an unmet need or necessary change
- Create a fulfilling and authentic version of success
Human Leadership is for anyone who has ever poured everything into others and woken up wondering where they went. Kristen reminds us that our relationship with ourselves informs our relationships with others and that the most human way to lead begins with refusing to abandon yourself.