Archive | Business Partnerships

Formality Never Hurts

In thinking about the job candidates who failed to get out of the starting gate due to their wardrobe choices, I reflected on how formality provides a guide for “good” behavior. Being formal in addressing people with “Ms.,” “Mr.,” “Dr.,” etc. is a good starting place. It is likely you will soon be told to […]

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Social psychologists have an explanation for most kinds of people’s encounters with others.  In the situations to which David refers, one’s self monitoring level is crucial to the impression they make upon others.  Self monitoring is defined as the degree to which people regulate the way they present themselves, including their emotions and behaviors, in […]

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Dress for the Interview

Job interviews are something with which Melissa and I have had considerable experience over the last 30 years. We’ve revised our procedures over time, but we have always utilized an in-person interview as a final part of the process. Regardless of the position for which we are interviewing, we, as a professional practice serving a […]

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I love people!  I really do!  I am constantly entertained and surprised by the things people do and say.  Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!  David’s post was prompted by our most recent job interview, which was of the shortest duration in the history of Magnus.  Why?  Because the job candidate, a young male, […]

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You can go to Wal-Mart, Kmart…

David and I have different ways of accomplishing the same task. We are frequently engaged in debates about how to perform seemingly simple tasks. When we catch ourselves in the midst of another debate about some mind numbing chore, one of us usually says, “You can go to Walmart, Kmart (sadly, that’s no longer an […]

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The good news is that it usually lightens the mood when these discussions ensue.  Or I should say, it now does.  My Dad’s tendency in this regard sometimes got irritating in that he questioned so many trivial items.  This includes debating in which parking space I should park when taking him and Mom to dinner […]

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Employees Should Cover Each Other

This is the 3rd in a series about “covering” or looking out for each other in a work environment. The need to do this is on a top down, down to top, and peer to peer basis. In the immediately prior post, I mentioned an employee who was hostile to another employee. The fact that […]

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Although it has been over 30 years since I have been an employee, as opposed to an employer, I can recall what it was like to have co-workers and colleagues.  The best example I am aware of is my colleague, and now, long time friend, Dr. Susan Broome, who looked out for me in an […]

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Cover the Employee’s Back

As I wrote the prior post about the need for employees to cover the boss’ back, I had this post, and the next one, in mind, because covering for each other is critical. It is important for a boss to keep the health and well being of the employees in mind. In our 30+ years […]

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I strive to be a good boss.  I thank all of my employees, and vendors, for completing tasks to which they have been assigned.  I thank the employees at the end of every work day for everything they have done that day to help me.  I am aware that, absent the help I receive from […]

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Cover the Boss’ Back

Who has your back? As a business owner, doing everything is difficult. The ability to rely on employees is critical. In this post, I am reflecting on how some employees are better than others at thinking of the boss’ or company’s best interest. Those who don’t think about the boss, or the company, are a […]

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I need help.  I need a lot of help.  In my job as a trial/jury consultant, it is impossible for me to function independently, without assistance from numerous other people.  Although I have considerable expertise, and years of experience, performing my primary job duties, I rely on David, and our employees, to assist me with […]

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Give Someone a Chance

John Lennon wrote a song called “Give Peace a Chance.” It is a great song and it has provided me with considerable inspiration over the years. This post is not about giving peace a chance, however. Instead, it is about giving someone a chance. Who is that someone? It could be someone who is young, […]

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In the early days of Magnus, we made lots of calls on people, never knowing where they would lead.  The visit to Charlie Stiles was one of those and, given Melissa’s connection with him, he was very supportive.  Despite the fact that, as Magnus has evolved, most of our work has been litigation related, in […]

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The Confounded Bridge

The confounded bridge! This expression appears to have originated in the 1973 song, “The Crunge,” by Led Zeppelin (on the Houses of the Holy album). At the end of the song, either John Bonham or Robert Plant asks, (music historians disagree on whose voice is being heard) “Where’s the confounded bridge?”. This is a reference […]

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This post confounded me enough that it had to percolate in my brain before I could write it.  Melissa’s knowledge of things musical is vast.  With her piano and bass guitar training, as well as her lifelong enjoyment of listening to recorded and live music, she is much better versed in musical terminology.  At least […]

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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” is a phrase used to suggest one should relax, chill out, and not worry about the little things, things which sometime seem out of one’s control. Well, that’s great. But, our “day job” as trial consultants doesn’t allow it. Neither does my prior advocation, photography. For example, when photographing people […]

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This topic, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” came up recently during a slightly heated debate David and I were having about the proper way to prepare something we were having for dinner.  (As the reader might imagine, David and I have many debates, some over trivial matters, on an almost daily basis.)  I don’t recall […]

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Nothing To Do Except Write a Book

With Magnus’ long term business downturn related to the pandemic and its hugely negative impact on the court system in the U.S.A., I have found myself with little work to do. Although David is busy trying to find new clients and cases, handling routine administrative duties, and operating our business, my job consists primarily of […]

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Melissa stayed home recently to get a few things done, work and otherwise. I had little idea what she was planning to do that day so, when I asked what she’d been up to that evening, I smiled when she responded that she’d been planning her latest book.  Not many people can say that, but […]

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