Kristen Hadeed, founder and CEO of Student Maid

In 2009, as a junior at the University of Florida, Hadeed started Student Maid, an all-student cleaning company that has since grown into a business that has employed hundreds of Millennials.

She met leadership failure right out of the gate. When 45 of her first 60 employees quit, she realized she was the reason. “The way I was leading wasn’t the right way,” Hadeed said in a 2014 talk. “That’s when I realized that leadership isn’t a privilege to do less. Leadership is a responsibility to do more.”

Things are much different now, and the company she founded is known for its industry-leading employee retention rate. For cleaning companies, on average, turnover happens every two months. At Student Maid, it’s two and a half years (mostly because students graduate and move on).

She built a culture of values, and everyone is expected to live up to them. She offered training that went beyond cleaning and dusting, teaching people to build great relationships with their customers and their fellow “maids” in order to provide the best possible experience for everyone.

Hadeed attributes happy customers to happy employees. She is a firm believer in the power of giving her employees purpose, freedom, ownership, and recognition as a way to engage people to do their best work:

Her first TEDx Talk, “How to Retire by 20,” has received over 2 million hits. In it, she talks about her true passion–doing something good for other people, which explains why Student Maid cleans free for cancer patients.

Like a true servant leader, Hadeed now spends most of her time helping other organizations all over make a lasting, meaningful impact on people by creating environments where they can thrive.