Author Archive | Melissa Pigott

Get over it

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 27, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

As with many things in my life, this post contains a musical reference, the title of a song by The Eagles. “Get Over It” says a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me, getting over it, whatever it may be, is an important part of moving through life in a forward […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 27, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

It is not always easy for me to just “get over it.” Things that I’ve worked to “get” have not always worked out regardless of effort expended and it can be devastating for things to work out differently than I would have liked. But, the beat goes on, and we have to move on. Sometimes […]

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And the beat goes on

As Sonny and Cher famously sang in a song, “The beat goes on…” I am a firm believer in this axiom. Think about it. Life goes on, the beat goes on, and each of us can choose to keep the beat or, literally, march to a different drummer. There is only so much each of […]

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The beat is clearly different for each of us. I observe people whose beat is veryyyy slow. Then there are some whose beats are like Neil Peart’s – rapid fire. My energy level is in between so I try to keep it steady. In a business like ours, with spouses as co-workers/owners, being in sync […]

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Keep the beat

One of my responsibilities as a bass guitar player is keeping the beat. The bass guitar is a rhythm instrument (as are drums and other percussive instruments) and, as a bass player, if I fail to keep the beat, I am not doing my job within the band. Sometimes, the beat is up tempo; other […]

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Keeping the beat in business is crucial as part of the juggling act of working on current business, looking for new business, and managing everything. I often feel like I have to keep the beat in terms of nudging clients along because I know how many beats there are in one of our projects and […]

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Space between notes

In life, just as in music, the space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves. For those among us who are not musically inclined, the “space between notes,” when applied to everyday life, is the silence that often says everything that needs to be said. On the day I am writing this […]

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It is interesting that, in our noisy world, silence, Melissa’s space between notes, is sometimes uncomfortable. But there are times when silence allows someone else to vent, or when silence provides an opportunity to listen. I sometimes find it difficult to stay quiet when I am asking questions of a prospective client who is trying […]

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Give others a Stanley

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 29, 2015

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

In a previous post I wrote about “giving yourself a Stanley” when one has done something amazing or otherwise deserving of recognition. Along these lines, I am also an advocate of “giving others a Stanley” when someone else has done something helpful, noteworthy, or wonderful. I rarely miss the opportunity to tell someone “good job,” […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 29, 2015

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

Receiving praise should feel good, and it usually does. But, it has been interesting to observe some of our best performers in the workplace react with surprise when we do praise them. It appears that genuine praise, not of the “everyone gets a trophy variety,” is somewhat rare in the business world. Maybe it is […]

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Give yourself a Stanley

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 15, 2015

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

A long time ago, 2 of my employees and I witnessed something that, at the time, seemed rather odd to all of us. We were making a presentation in a client’s office and among the attorneys in attendance was an older attorney of some renown who, upon being told he had done something beneficial in […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 15, 2015

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

Our practice of “giving Stanleys” has been an interesting experience. As Melissa points out, telling an employee to give himself/herself a Stanley seems strange at first. But, the old pat on the back seems strange, and perhaps offensive, to some younger employees as well, especially those who do not like being touched. By using the […]

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Just – Do It

I used to work in a large corporation where staff meetings, committee meetings, and meetings of other varieties were commonplace. These meetings seemed, to me, to drone on endlessly, with much discussion, but little actual work, being accomplished. In the years I have co-owned and operated a small business, I have kept meetings to a […]

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I believe “Just Do It” has been Melissa’s motto for longer than it has been Nike’s. In other words, she likes to “git er done.” While meetings are often necessary to coordinate to ensure that everyone will get things done with the same information and goals in mind, as Dilbert illustrates, meetings often take on […]

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Mike Cefalo’s notes

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 1, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

A client of mine told me something valuable a long time ago. He said he writes personal notes, on stationery, in handwriting, to several people each week who have done something noteworthy. I asked him how he found the time to do this, due to his busy schedule as a high profile trial lawyer residing […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 1, 2015

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work

In a time when instant communications are the norm, old fashioned, paper, pen, and stamps count for more than ever. The decrease in “real mail” is remarkable and that makes notes, as Melissa describes, more noteworthy. Or at least more noticeable than a decade ago. All the more reason to do this. We treasure the […]

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See what is there to be seen

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 25, 2015

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Litigation Tips, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Just as many people are unable to listen, really listen, many people look without really seeing. I have always been a keen observer of my surroundings, including people and places. If I have gone to a place once, I know how to get there again. To place it in medical terms, I am oriented times […]

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As a photographer, I try hard to see what is there to be seen. This can be difficult when one doesn’t know what one is looking for. But, with a little effort, what is there to be seen emerges, on a macro or micro level. I have heard people say, “the Everglades are boring, there’s […]

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Listen – really listen

As a psychologist, I am a paid listener. I listen more than I talk. I learn far more from listening than from talking. Most people, in my opinion, talk far more than they listen (and rarely do they have anything of great importance to say!). If one listens, really listens, there are many details that […]

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It is interesting to be an observer both of people (like our mock jurors) and of people’s listening skills (like our attorney clients). Attorneys are paid to talk, to argue, to persuade. But, when they come to us and we do mock jury or mock arbitration research, they have to utilize their listening skills when […]

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