Archive | Business Frustrations

Put a label on it

Though I’ve previously written about a similar topic with a post which appeared on December 10, 2015 “Organize & Label the Equipment,” recent experiences lead me to revisit the topic from a different angle. That post was about our efforts to label our equipment as ours such that it doesn’t get confused with that owned […]

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David’s fondness for labels, checklists, and written protocols is well known by those of us at Magnus. It seems, at least to me, that we have written documentation of almost everything we do, thus, it came as a surprise to me that, in our haste to make hurricane preparations, we overlooked anything, including the important […]

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If all else fails…

I remember that I first heard “If all else fails, read the directions” from my Dad, decades ago. He really didn’t operate that way, but the point was, if you can’t figure it out on your own, the directions might help. (Not always – I wonder who writes some of them!) Anyway, this year has […]

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It is strange to consider that, for an increasing number of attorneys, obtaining advice from a trial consultant is done only as a last resort. Thinking within this narrow frame of reference is harmful to the attorney, not to mention his or her client, for a variety of reasons: (1) last minute research is usually […]

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Irma Aftermath 5: Disasters bring out the Good and the Bad in people

There have been plenty of examples of how storms and the other disasters like Irma bring out the worst in people, e.g., those fighting over bottled water. (Hey, people – fill up bottles from your taps!) Or they bring out the worst people – like the home invaders or looters who end up in the […]

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I believe there are more good people than bad people, however, it is often the bad people who receive the most attention.  The news media focus on all the negativity in the world because “it’s news,” while sometimes ignoring the positivity that surrounds us.  David’s and my friend who offered to use his airboat to […]

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Irma Aftermath 4: Critical Comms

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 12, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

The adage “communication is key” could not be more apropos when talking about events such as a hurricane. Irma provided us with several examples of how true this is. Whether it is the absence of communications (comms) when telephones, television, or internet is down, or the overload of comms when some of those devices (think […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 12, 2017

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

There is a great song by Led Zeppelin called, “Communication Breakdown.” The song’s chorus is: Communication breakdown It’s always the same I’m having a nervous breakdown I’m going insane There is also a famous line from a great movie, “Cool Hand Luke,” “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I’m thinking of both […]

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Irma Aftermath 3: Get Ready/Have a Plan

Maybe it is because I was a Boy Scout whose motto of “Be Prepared” has stuck with me that I have plans and have made preparations for hurricanes, the number 1 threat we face in Florida. We don’t get snowstorms, earthquakes (well, not often), or mountain slides, but as a Florida native, I know hurricanes […]

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David is as prepared for a hurricane as anyone I know.  The only way he could be more prepared is if he had an airboat loaded onto a trailer and ready to pull behind a big truck if needed.  (David, I sure would love to have an airboat, but for fun outings, not hurricanes!)  The […]

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Irma Aftermath 2: Meaning of “Mandatory”

“Mandatory” is defined as compulsory. “Mandatory” is also synonymous with obligatory, binding, required, requisite, necessary, essential and imperative. “Mandatory” means “you gotta’ do it.” In the case of a hurricane, “mandatory” evacuations are often ordered, but because no one is likely to be arrested and jailed for not abiding by such an order, there are […]

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Mandatory means mandatory.  Some people I know evidently believe mandatory means voluntarily, or “I will if I feel like it,” or a variety of things that imply a choice.  When someone lives in a low lying area, for example, near the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, he/she should expect to be among the […]

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Irma Aftermath 1: Being Proactive

“Here we go again” I thought, repeatedly, in the last couple of days as we watched the largest hurricane on record churn toward us in the Atlantic Ocean. My mind even took this one step further and adapted this phrase to the Dolly Parton song, “Here you come again…”, resulting in an annoying earworm as […]

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Having to postpone, then re-schedule, a client’s research project is never easy. When the postponement is due to a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or fire, everyone’s stress levels are high. Hurricane Irma was not the first natural disaster to cause the postponement of a research project and, things being what they are, I […]

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One Size Does NOT Fit All

When David and I founded our company, Magnus Research Consultants, we did so with the intention of providing our clients with high quality litigation research and consulting, customized to every case. It was, and still is, our view that there are: (1) no two cases that are exactly alike, regardless of their degree of similarity; […]

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Melissa’s post expands upon some of the comments I’ve made in this recent series.  In four years of writing this blog, it has been interesting to see what experiences we have that trigger blog posts, or a series of posts.  This email conversion experience surely has been an instructive reminder of how Melissa and I […]

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Life, and work, go on after hurricanes, personal tragedies, etc.

The idea that life goes on regardless of circumstances is an old one, and one covered in the world of entertainment – in music, on television. Sometimes it is stated as “the show must go on.” Working as a trial consultant, not entertainment, is the context of this post. Perhaps it is apropos that I’m […]

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Ironically, I am writing my part of this post on a day when south Florida is anxiously awaiting Hurricane Irma. At the time of this writing, we do not know where it will make landfall, however, we are going to prepare regardless of its exact location. Equally ironic is the fact that we have a […]

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It’s Okay to be Different

My dearly departed Mother would be happy to know all of the things she taught me have been put into practice.  I was listening to what she said, often, over and over and over, and now I find myself saying, “Mom was right!” many times.  On numerous occasions, when I would petulantly state to Mom, […]

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Most entrepreneurs have an “it’s okay to be different” mindset.  As entrepreneurs, doing business our own, different way is usually a part of filling a niche` or providing customized services.  So, the lesson Melissa took from her mother works to the benefit of our clients in our focus on each case as different, unique, and […]

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