The Second Shot

Bret Taylor's first big product at Google was called Google Local. He was given top billing - a link right from the Google homepage. He had all the traffic in the world.

It flopped.

'To not do that well with a link from the Google homepage is embarrassing.'

The product was fine. It worked. But it was just a digital copy of the Yellow Pages. Nothing special. His reputation took a hit. The shine was 'waning.'

But then something crucial happened: they gave him another shot.

'They gave me another shot to do the V2 of it.'

That second chance became Google Maps. Ten million people used it on day one. It redefined the industry and his career.

Here's the parenting lesson hidden in this story: the first attempt isn't the end. When your kid tries something and it doesn't work - the art project, the friendship, the new skill - the question isn't whether they failed. The question is whether they get a second shot.

And when they do try again? They might not just make it a little better. They might completely reimagine the approach and create something remarkable.

Bret didn't make a better Yellow Pages. He made Maps. Sometimes failure is just the warm-up.