Talk Me Through Your Biggest Flop

Annie Pearl has one question she asks every candidate.

'Talk me through your biggest product flop. What happened and what did you do about it?'

What she looks for:

'People being brutally honest around how bad it was and why it failed. The rest of the interview, they're trying to tell you all the wonderful things they did. The rawer the answer in terms of how bad it was and why, the better.'

This is the parenting advice we actually need.

Not: 'My child slept through the night at 8 weeks.'

But: 'Let me tell you about the three weeks where everything fell apart and I cried in the bathroom every day.'

The rawer the better.

When someone asks for your parenting advice, don't lead with your wins. Lead with your flops. That's where the real learning lives.

(And if their flops sound a lot like your current situation, you've found your person.)