When it comes to my business philosophies and my mindset as a leader, I owe it all to the books I’ve read. They’ve inspired me, taught me, challenged me, and shaped me into the person I am today. I’m still an avid reader: I try to read at least a book a week. Here are some of my favorite titles on earth and why. I hope you gain from them as much as I have!
I promise to add to this list often.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
This is the book that first taught me culture is a feeling, and it led to the creation of our core values at Student Maid.
Bob is one of my favorite CEOs of all time, and I love his philosophy: Every person we interact with is someone’s precious child. This is an incredible book about what it truly means to care for people.
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek
If you want a book about how to build trust among your team and make people feel safe, this is it. Simon has the gift of making very complex topics easy to understand.
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—and How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay
Even if your twenties are behind you, this book is worth a read. It's about how to live your life now so the rest of it is what you want it to be. If you are a member of the next generation, or if you care about the next generation, definitely add this to your list.
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
This book gave me a new way to think about how to motivate myself and my team. Turns out there are three elements of motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Guess what’s not on the list? Money.
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
Kim Scott was an exec at Google and Apple. She learned that to be a good leader, you have to care personally and challenge directly. If you want to get better at feedback, this one’s for you!
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
When I first started Student Maid, a mentor of mine made me read this book. If you are an entrepreneur, you’ve got to get it.
I don’t always stick to the business aisle! This is the memoir of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. This one’s about mindset, and it affected me profoundly.
This one helped me understand the reasons we procrastinate, and it gave tangible steps to stress less and play more. I had Student Maid’s executive team read it too, and then we discussed what we learned. Highly recommend doing the same with your team!
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
A classic, timeless, must-read. Sometimes I read it again just to hold myself accountable to being the most effective leader I can be.
Quick, easy read about a pretend pizzeria with a horrible work environment and the story of how they turned it around. If you want to learn how to make work more fulfilling, get your hands on this one!
Read this, and then read everything else Brené Brown has written. She will prove to you that vulnerability is not a weakness. It’s brave and courageous.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
This is a book about writing. It taught me to let go of perfection and take it one paragraph at a time!
I have always admired Patagonia’s culture, and after reading this book, I admire it even more. If you want to build an organization with humanity at its core, this is a must-read.
Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
This one will make you angry, it will bring you to tears, and it will inspire you beyond belief. Chanel Miller tells her story of being sexually assaulted and finding the courage to fight for herself and people all over the world.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
I read this book in one night. It will inspire you to stop abandoning yourself and instead abandon the expectations that others have for your life. It’s written for women, but I believe it’s a powerful manifesto for humans everywhere!
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
This book gave me, as a white person, a new lens through which to view the world and engage more meaningfully with it. Among the many, many important things it taught me about race and, specifically, whiteness, it helped me see that we can’t engage in growth with our white fragility in the way, and we have to make a conscious effort to fight ingrained white supremacy every day.
Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham
A book about making the intentional choice to remain a small organization and define growth on your own terms.
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried
A book that challenges the “hustle” and the “grind” mentality and encourages organizations to celebrate “calm” instead of “crazy.” I read it in one sitting and then asked our team to read it too!
Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty
This book, written by a former monk, is all about mindset and developing new habits that will result in greater purpose and peace. I found each chapter inspiring and practical and was able to immediately implement the concepts in my life. One of my favorite things that I learned is a breathing technique I now do before giving a speech! Highly recommend.
Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud
Change is inevitable, and sometimes, it’s absolutely necessary. This book helped me understand why change can be difficult, and it helped me see that we have to normalize endings in our organizations and lives so that our roses can bloom.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
I read this book at the beginning of the pandemic, and I recommend it to anyone who is facing hard times or daunting obstacles. It gave me great peace and helped me form the mindset I needed to face my challenges.
This was the book that changed the way we thought about profit and helped us create a plan to pay off our business loans five years early—which we did! I don’t think I can give a better endorsement than that!
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
This book helped me learn how to take control of my schedule and prioritize what is most important to me.
Looking for more of my favorite books, products, and travel must haves?
Heads up: I may receive a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through these links. Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur, right? I promise I’m not pushing anything just to make a dollar, though. If it’s on this site, it’s because I truly love it and I give it my highest recommendation.
I talk everything from screwing up to building a business to learning how to become a better leader. Happy listening!
EntreLeadership
“Learning to Lead”
Everybody Matters Podcast
“Kristen Hadeed and Screwing Up”
The Second City Works
“Permission to Screw Up”
Make Yourself Podcast
“Make Yourself… A Boss”
Business Boutique
“Learning From Failure: How to Dust Yourself Off and Move Forward”
eX Podcast
“It’s OK to Screw Up”
Science of People
“Permission to Screw Up with Kristen Hadeed”
Millennial Momentum
“Why Authenticity is the Key to Leadership”
The Money Jar
“Permission to Screw Up”
Life Amplified
“Overcoming Perfectionism and Giving Yourself Permission to Screw Up”
Where Others Won't
“The Goal Is To Be Human, Not Perfect”
No Ego
“Permission to Screw Up”
Servant Leadership Institute Podcast
“Leading Through Adversity: A Conversation with Kristen Hadeed”
Chapman & Co Leadership Institute
“Interview with Kristen Hadeed, Student Maid's Founder”
Pro Talks Podcast
“A Lesson on Swallowing Your Pride and Being a Better Boss”
IDOC
“Becoming an Effective Leader with Special Guest, Kristen Hadeed”
Pro Talks
“A Lesson on Swallowing Your Pride and Being a Better Boss”
Delivering Happiness Podcast
“Permission to Screw up | Kristen Hadeed”
The Winning Zone Podcast
“How to Lead with Authenticity with Kristen Hadeed”
Gut + Science Podcast
“One Piece of Advice That Changed Everything with Kristen Hadeed”
Here are some of the self-assessments I’ve taken to learn more about who I am and how I relate to others. My team takes them as well! I suggest that once you take yours, you share your results with your team and even with your family. If you lead a team, have every person take these! The more you understand each other, the better you can work together. (I tried my best to find free versions of each assessment. Not all are free, but most are!)
This one reveals your communication style and behavioral needs.
This might shed some light on how you perceive the world and make decisions.
Take this one to reveal your superpowers.
This one is all about how you like to give and receive love.
Take this one to discover what you need in an apology in order to get closure.
Discover how your brain is wired.
This one will reveal where you fall on the introvert/extrovert spectrum.
This will reveal your “entrepreneurial DNA,” a.k.a. what kind of entrepreneur you are. You don’t need to have built your own business to be considered an entrepreneur—you can be entrepreneurial within an organization too!
This assessment will help your team become more effective by pinpointing the most critical issues that are holding you back.
Take the Motivation Code assessment to learn more about what motivates you.
Take the Four Tendencies Quiz to learn how you and those around you deal with inner and outer expectations.
The Ideal Team Player assessment asks you to rate yourself on what Lencioni calls the “three indispensable virtues that make some people better team players than others.”
My team and I want to help you become a better human and leader by sharing what we've learned. We've created downloadable products that you can use with your team or just for yourself. New products are in the works, so subscribe below to get notified as soon as we release them!
