Archive | Business personalities

Why I like spending time with lawyers

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 17, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Many people, including mock jurors and other research participants, courthouse personnel, friends, and attorneys, ask me if I am an attorney. Invariably, when this happens, I am wearing a dark, conservative business suit, the attire preferred by many attorneys with whom I am acquainted. I always answer, “No, I am not an attorney. I am […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 17, 2019

I share Melissa’s enjoyment of working with attorneys and on their challenging cases. We’ve written before about the intellectual stimulation of doing so. Neither of us grew up in a family of lawyers, as many of our clients did, but we grew up with a familiarity with lawyers, law enforcement (me), and courthouses (Melissa). Either […]

What to do When Your Armor has Chinks

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 10, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology

My last post mentioned the tendency among many people I know to search for chinks in my armor. I guess these people have their reasons for wanting me to be less intelligent, or less educated, or less cool, but so far, their attempts have fallen flat. This, related, post is about what to do when […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 10, 2019

Repairing chinks in one’s armor is more difficult than deflecting the chink in the first place. As with any fight or conflict, avoiding the confrontation is rule 1. Charlie’s innate reaction of avoidance minimizes chinks. But some engagements are not as random, and one off, as a road rage incident. Often, the chinking occurs over […]

My Armor is Chink-proof

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 3, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology

In the over 3 decades we have known each other, David has frequently remarked that some of my long term friends have a tendency to search for “chinks in my armor.” (For readers who are unfamiliar with this expression, it has been used since the 17th century to refer to a weak spot in a […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 3, 2019

It is interesting that people “snipe” at others in an attempt, I guess, to make themselves feel better about their own situation. Such behavior was first pointed out to me by a high school classmate, Steve, during our first years in college. He told me that his roommate was always looking for chinks in his […]

No one hires me for an easy case

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 26, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Getting the Job Done, Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

On numerous occasions throughout my career as a jury/trial consultant, prospective clients, not to mention family members and friends, have asked me if I have ever worked on a “big” case or a “difficult” case. I used to bristle when asked this question, due to its implication that I am not intelligent, experienced, or good […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 26, 2019

The fact that we are called on to work on large, difficult, challenging, and unique cases is one of the intellectual thrills of working as trial consultants. And, what were once challenges are not as intimidating as they might have been years ago. The money involved in some of the cases is part of the […]

Don’t say yes, when you mean, I don’t know…

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 21, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Small Business Success

We once had an employee who was full of lessons for us. She worked hard, but sometimes she had to work extra hard to overcome her own limitations. This resulted in her inability to focus on a question at hand. And, I don’t know if it was to be dismissive in order to return to […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 21, 2019

It’s a long, long way from “Yes” to “I don’t know” and, for that matter, from “No” to “I don’t know.” As anyone who knows me well will assert, I speak in a direct manner, as succinctly as possible. I rarely “beat around the bush.” Instead, I say what I mean and I mean what […]

My job is to help people

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 19, 2019

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Getting the Job Done, Giving Back, Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Sometimes, when I am asked what I do for a living, I answer, “I help people.” Although the details of my job description have changed over the years, my entire career has been devoted to helping people. In my job as Director of Marketing Research at a large hospital, I was tasked with helping improve […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 19, 2019

A client called for help this week. He faces a unexpected challenge of a case that he didn’t think would get to trial – then the judge set a trial date. With a trial looming, and some extra challenges on the part of his client, he called. It helped that he is a regular reader […]

I’m happiest when I have a new data set

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 29, 2019

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

One of Magnus’ former employees once remarked that the times he saw me at my happiest were the days when I was analyzing a new data set. How true! There are few things in life I enjoy more than delving into a raw data file from a recently conducted survey of potential jurors. I eagerly […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 29, 2019

Some girls get excited about diamonds; Melissa gets excited about data (well, diamonds too). Data sets give her the chance to use her favorite computer program – SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). She fires up SPSS and digs in whenever she can. Sometimes the data sets are large and she can really poke […]

Ask Me a Question, then LISTEN to My Answer

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 15, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Recently, I have had several experiences in which someone asked me one or more questions, then constantly interrupted me while I attempted to answer the question(s). This has happened more times than I can count, however, it happened several times in the period of a few days, both in business and personal situations. One of […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 15, 2019

I think part of the listening dilemma is an occupational hazard. Our clients are mostly attorneys and attorneys are paid to talk. Listening seems more difficult for some, not all, of them. This manifests itself during jury selection when some seem to have difficulty actively listening to the responses to the questions they are asking. […]

In appreciation of Rats

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 8, 2019

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Psychology

I am among the psychologists whose education included taking a class in experimental psychology, specifically, animal learning. The basic premise of this class was, after being assigned to a rat, training the rat in all sorts of classical and instrumental conditioning paradigms. (Classical conditioning is when a stimulus is presented to elicit a response. Instrumental […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 8, 2019

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Psychology

While I’ll agree lab rats, and often other animals, serve a worthwhile purpose, I don’t share Melissa’s fondness for them. I particularly dislike rats and other critters that enter our human world uninvited. Especially the ones that get in the house, seen or unseen, and scurry about. A recent dead rat lodged in the engine […]

The Show Must Go On – Even With a Concussion

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 30, 2019

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

In the three decades I have been working as a jury/trial/litigation consultant, I have never missed attending a mock trial, focus group, or other research due to an injury or illness. Although I have been injured and sick (the latter, numerous times) on some research days, I have kept my health issues to myself. Instead […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 30, 2019

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

Even though we’ve heard Atlanta Rhythm Section’s music for many years, listening to their songs still amazes when one listens to Paul Goddard’s bass lines. The show now goes on without him (sadly, he passed away in 2014), and I am sure he is a hard act for his successors to follow. The last time […]

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Archive | Business personalities

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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