Human Leadership

PRAISE FOR HUMAN LEADERSHIP “Through honesty, humility, and hard-earned wisdom, Kristen Hadeed demonstrates that lasting leadership growth begins with the courage to face who we are and who we can become.”—Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker and New York Times bestselling author “This book is generous, courageous, and what’s most meaningful to me: deeply human.”—Jennifer Pastiloff, bestselling author of On Being Human and Proof of Life “Human Leadership shows that to lead others well you must lead yourself well. I highly recommend this book!”—Jon Gordon, 19x bestselling author of The Carpenter and The One Truth “Kristen Hadeed gives language to an experience countless leaders share but rarely admit, and in doing so, reminds us that achievement means little if it comes at the cost of ourselves.”—Morra Aarons-Mele, podcast host and author of The Anxious Achiever “If you’re a leader who wants permission to be human, grab a copy of this book today.”—Erica Keswin, bestselling author and workplace strategist 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.