Archive | Managing Employees

Unprofessionalism in law

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 30, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

As trial consultants, we are generally hired on “big” cases which have enough complicating factors that the attorneys and their clients need our help to figure out. In other words, when the stakes are high, our help is needed. Because of this, perhaps, we have very rarely interacted with unprofessional attorneys. There have been some […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 30, 2015

I am a “peace and love” aficionado and, as a social psychologist, my people skills are slightly more elevated than those of the attorneys with whom I have chosen to spend my career. It has always amazed me that some attorneys, who are paying me for my help, do everything they can to alienate me, […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Pat Geraghty

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 28, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Soon after starting my company, Magnus Research Consultants, with my spouse/business partner, I had the opportunity to meet an attorney in my hometown, Fort Myers, Florida, named Patrick Geraghty. Since that time, Pat has been a great friend, a loyal client, and a source of endless information about a variety of topics. I have had […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 28, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

As the one who was learning about my spouse’s hometown, finding out the back story on much of what happens in Ft. Myers has been interesting. And, Pat Geraghty is a man in the know, therefore, he and Melissa have had much to discuss over the years. I know there are power brokers in every […]

Working for jerks, never!

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 23, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I recently wrote about a client I called a “2 time client” meaning we worked for him our first and last times on the same case. I never thought it would get worse and that we would have a client we would have to fire before doing the work for which we were retained. Unfortunately, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 23, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

As John Lennon famously said, “instant karma’s gonna’ get you.” Let’s hope so! The attorney who is the subject of this post is a younger than age 40 personal injury attorney in West Palm Beach who, because David dared to come inside his office (which is, of course, open to the public), verbally and physically […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Kim Hart

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 21, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Many years ago, I met an attorney in my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, named Kim Patrick Hart. I will begin this post with some background. Kim and I are close in age, but we attended rival high schools. I graduated from the original high school, Fort Myers Senior High School (go Green Wave!) and […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 21, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

You never know how things will turn out at a first meeting. I met Kim not long after starting Magnus in 1993 (Melissa met him a few years earlier). Though we had worked in the trial consulting world for a few years, and Melissa longer than me, we were starting “from scratch” and making cold […]

2 Time Clients

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 16, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Melissa’s mother had a saying that she used, rarely, to indicate she was not going to do, or eat, or whatever that same thing again. For example, if she went somewhere one time and did not like it, she would say, “I’ve been there twice, my first and last times…” I’ve been to a few […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 16, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

It is painful for David to turn away business, and the revenue derived from business, but when a client has abused me, one or more of our employees, or him, the pain from working with the abuser is greater than the pain from lost revenue. Fortunately, there have been few clients in my decades long […]

Buddy Schulz

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 14, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

In my decades long career as a social psychologist who works as a litigation research consultant, I have encountered thousands of attorneys. Most of the attorneys for whom I have provided research and consulting services have been professional, pleasant, and of above average intelligence. A few have been exceptional in one or more positive ways. […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 14, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

I have to admit that, when we scheduled our first meeting with Buddy, I was a bit intimidated. Magnus was new and he was the head of litigation for his firm, nationwide. We had a couple of connections that opened the door to meeting him and that meeting was the start of a very positive […]

The Evolution of our Job Interview. Part 2

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 9, 2015

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Part 2 of the Job Interview Evolution involves the addition of questions to our interview protocol based on experiences with interviewing and hiring, or more accurately, hiring mistakes. For example, we once hired a research associate for our trial consulting business who, within a few weeks of hiring, reported that she “hated attorneys” and was […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 9, 2015

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Prior to having the unfortunate (but, thankfully, short lived) experience with the employee who hates lawyers, I would never have believed there would be anyone stupid enough to apply for, then accept, a job in which all revenue earned by the employer is earned by working for attorneys. But. it happened! And now we are […]

The Evolution of our Job Interview. Part 1

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 2, 2015

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

One thing that happens in running a business, of any sort, is that you, hopefully, learn new “tricks” along the way. Some are strokes of genius, but more often, they are things learned the hard way. I wish I could say the trick I’m about to report was a moment of genius, but it happened […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 2, 2015

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

David has spent an inordinate amount of time interviewing job candidates, most of whom never make it to the in person interview by me. In that the vast majority of people whom David has interviewed over the years have not been hired by our company, Magnus, a lot of productive time has been wasted. For […]

Say thank you

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 30, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees

I believe in saying “thank you.” When someone does something nice for me, when someone performs a job I am pleased with, or when someone helps me, I thank him or her. My employees have often expressed surprise about me thanking them for doing a good job. I thank each and every employee, at the […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 30, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees

It is interesting how some people are surprised to be sincerely thanked. “Thank you” as a reinforcement of something done and done well is a simple reward that goes a long way. I have worked for at least 2 people who rarely said thank you and, in at least 1 of those cases, it appeared […]

Working on a Roller Coaster

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 25, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

After well over 20 years in the trial consulting business, I hoped the work load would smooth out and there would not be a constant peak and valley cycle of business. Alas, it appears we’re on a perpetual roller coaster. The cycle is such that there are times we are slammed with what seems like […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 25, 2015

For the most part, living life on the roller coaster has become easier for me with the passage of time. There used to be a time when, after weeks or months of not having any work to do, I would become convinced we would never work again. Then, just as I had given up all […]

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Archive | Managing Employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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