I recently did everything necessary to apply to the Wharton MBA program except send the application. Why not apply? Well, not this year. Baby is due in July. Even if I never apply, there is a lot of benefit to answering essay questions. Below is my reponse to the most open-ended of the questions: "Please tell us something else about yourself that you feel will help the Admissions Committee know you better. (500 words)"

"Why am I able to do Hyperbolic Geometry and identify a Gauguin painting from 20 yards, but unable to install a dimmer switch?" That question taunted me shortly after I bought my first house. Perhaps I couldn't do it myself because I grew up in a culture of renters, where home improvements were beyond imagination? I've never been fond of excuses, particularly my own. I answered my question: The reason I can architect computer systems is because I learned to - the reason I can't change a light switch is because I haven't learned to. Yet.

A week later, I had a new light switch in every room.

System Architecture. Project Management. Modular Design. Quality Assurance. These effective practices are familiar in the workplace. Nonetheless, my wife was skeptical when I decided to apply them when remodeling our kitchen - myself. "Your aunt didn't have water for 5 months, and her husband's a contractor!" she exclaimed. I was undeterred: our kitchen was hideous and unbearable. "One day" I responded. "I guarantee we won't lose the kitchen for more than one day."

Disregarding my flair for the dramatic, I had good reason to be confident. I had studied the relevant books, and planned the project in accordance with successful business practices. I pre-assembled the cabinetry in another room. I pre-assembled the sink, faucet, and garbage disposal. The new oven, dishwasher, and clothes washer/dryer (we don't have a laundry room) sat in our living room. I loomed with the sledgehammer. I'd be damned before I spent another day without a dishwasher!

Luckily, "one day" is defined as 24 hours. I kept my promise, much to the delight of my wife. I've been proud of my accomplishments in business, but the sense of satisfaction I felt when looking at my new and improved kitchen was great indeed. Black granite tiles gleamed. The dishwasher hummed. "Does this work?" my wife asked, before using the tap. Of course it did.

My home improvement experiences have improved my understanding of others, and myself, as my many conversations with other homeowners and coworkers have been revealing. All people have areas of life where they are uninformed, whether it be about cooking, computers, automobile engines, or light switches. The interesting thing about these "blind spots" is how we often shroud them in mystery or complexity. We don't want to believe that things we don't understand are straightforward or simple. Sometimes this is appropriate: understanding the human genome is probably beyond reach for most people. But setting the time on a VCR?

Perhaps most importantly, one must decide for oneself to reveal a "blind spot." You can't force someone to understand something about which they are willfully ignorant. It is a personal issue. While I don't begrudge others their interests or lack thereof, I continually try to discover and demystify my own "blind spots." Experiences such as successfully remodeling my kitchen build my confidence that I can. The simple lessons from childhood are often the most important: "I think I can. I think I can."

Hand me that sledgehammer.