Don't be afraid to ask...

I was a latch-key kid in elementary school.  Not a big deal, both of my parents worked full-time and I learned very quickly how to take care of myself.  Good life lesson.  But when you start life like that, you tend to learn how to figure things out for yourself, and aren't inclined to ask others for help or advice.  Needless to say, it's a trait that I've carried with me for most of my adult life.  

One of the great things about MBA programs is that you're surrounded by people with very different backgrounds and experience.  You also tend to interact with them in an environment where some non-work behaviors come out.  Not to mention that you're with these people a lot. So after a while you realize that it might be a good idea to ask their opinion on something. What have you got to lose?  Hopefully their experience will give you a unique angle on something.

Over the last 3-4 weeks, I've asked a few people for some feedback and the responses they gave me were refreshingly honest.  Not only that, they phrased their responses in a way that completely opened my mind to new viewpoints which have been extremely helpful....one on how I interact with classmates, and another on how I might interact with my daughters.  

So to those folks, I am extremely grateful....thank you!!  Maybe this asking concept just might work.  Maybe I need to update my goals to include asking a few more questions of my classmates.