Author Archive | David Fauss

A Point of View & Another View – Juggling/multitasking

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 23, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work

Multitasking is the norm for most workers, both employees and owners, in today’s world. There is a research evidence that multitasking is not always the most productive work style, but it seems to be the reality for most jobs. Over the years we have learned to pre-screen prospective employees on their ability to multitask. Most […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 23, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work

The definition of multitasking varies with individuals. In my job, I do not work on several tasks at exactly the same time; if I did, nothing would get accomplished. Instead, my work requires me to prepare for upcoming cases, including research projects such as mock trials and focus groups, and consulting, such as jury selection. […]

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A Point of View & Another View – Have Rules (Policies, & Procedures)

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 15, 2014

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

When we first started our business, long before we had the prospect of having employees, we began developing a policy and procedures manual. Maybe it was my degree in Organizational Behavior, or Melissa’s having taught Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or both of us having worked for other employers, but we knew that while we had “free” time […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 15, 2014

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

Magnus is a small corporation, however, we have extremely formal ways of doing business. We have a specific policy covering every major aspect of our work, including dress code, social media, and what constitutes a valid expense on an expense report. As with most employers, my partner and I have had numerous experiences with employees […]

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A Point of View & Another View – Who’s Da Boss?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 8, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Managing Employees

It should be easy to figure out who the boss is and whom, therefore, employees should try to please. But, for various reasons, sometimes things are not as obvious as they seem apparently. Over the years we have had some experiences with employees who either forgot who the boss is or try to slide by […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 8, 2014

Category: Careers, Employment, Managing Employees

Almost everyone who works for a living has a boss. Although I am the co-owner and thus, the boss, of my company, I have many bosses: the clients who retain my company for our litigation research and consulting services. In a service based company, such as mine, it is important for the employees to realize […]

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Point & Counterpoint – Good Cop/Bad Cop

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 30, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

In prior posts we have discussed the need for partners or managers to get their thoughts together prior to meetings with employees. This is especially true if there is a need to engage in disciplinary actions or remedial training measures. Often, it naturally becomes a situation where one partner/manager is the “bad cop” delivering the […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 30, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

Contrary to popular belief, I am not always the “bad cop” counterpart to my partner’s “good cop.” In fact, we have had a few, admittedly very few, employees over the years who find me easier to work with than my partner. As I always tell our clients, all trial lawyers who delight in asking me […]

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A Point of View & Another View – Mom & Pop

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 23, 2013

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Work-Life

I never considered that we were starting a Mom & Pop business when we started our trial consulting business, Magnus, in 1993. In fact, originally there were to be 3 partners, but the 3rd dropped out early – he wasn’t cut out to be an entrepreneur. Family run business structures are probably one of the […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 23, 2013

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Work-Life

I, too, never considered owning and operating a “Mom and Pop” business, but after 20 years as a small business owner, I guess I will have to accept my career choice. Before co-owning a Mom and Pop business, I was employed by various others for 20 years; some of these businesses were large corporations, others […]

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A Point of View & Another View – Working remotely

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 16, 2013

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done

The ability to work remotely with the assistance of technology is a common occurrence in today’s world. In a small business, being able to work remotely, from home or while on the road, makes many things possible which were not previously possible. Being able to travel, or work at home without interruptions, are the most […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 16, 2013

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done

I have been traveling and, therefore, working remotely, for close to 25 years. Things have evolved during this time to make working in places other than my office almost as simple as if I were there. In the old days, my cell phone was so big it had to be carried in my briefcase; now […]

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A Point of View & Another View – SINK, not DINK

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 9, 2013

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Employment

At the height of the yuppie culture in the 1980s, according to Wikipedia, the term DINK was coined.  DINK is an acronym for dual income no kids. It occurred to me recently that a related acronym for those of us who co-own small businesses with a spouse, but do not have kids, is SINK. No […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 9, 2013

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Employment

My spouse/business partner has been self-employed since the day I met him, many years ago. I, on the other hand, was a person who had been working, since the age of 15, for a long list of bosses, in a variety of workplaces. It has only been in the past 20 years that both my […]

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A Point of View & Another View – Things NOT ok to mention in front of employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 2, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

Previously we have discussed the need for business partners, managers, etc. to coordinate many things in advance of speaking with employees about workplace changes or sensitive issues. Definitely, issues which could result in uncertainty or job insecurity should be carefully considered before discussing with employees, and the cautious approach is to only discuss such items […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 2, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

I share my partner’s intrigue regarding our employees’ overall discomfort with discussing the “business part” of the business. We used to have bi-monthly staff meetings, during which we discussed the pending cases on which we hoped to be retained. Much to my partner’s and my surprise, the employees became upset when a long hoped for […]

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Things to talk about before involving employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 25, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

In an office where open doors are the norm, it is important to remember that there are times to shut the doors and have private discussions between the partners before discussing those issues with the employees. Perhaps this seems obvious. But, there have been times where it has not been as obvious to us, because […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 25, 2013

Category: Managing Employees

Our office is small, our staff are few in number, and our overall work environment is casual. These things being said, my partner and I have anything but a casual attitude toward our work, our business, and our clients. There have been some times when our employees mistake our small office atmosphere for a fun […]

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Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 18, 2013

Category: Careers, Employment

I first remember hearing this phrase when, playing a hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant in the 1986 film Heartbreak Ridge, Clint Eastwood, said it while he tried to train a ragged platoon of recruits. Their mission required some innovations over routine approaches when conditions changed on the unit. Being in many businesses requires adaptation, and […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 18, 2013

Category: Careers, Employment

As social psychologist, it has been interesting throughout my career to observe the way in which many people run into roadblocks when things don’t turn out the way they planned. I am results oriented and I am often the first person in our team to find a creative way to solve a problem, even a […]

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