Archive | Business personalities

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 […]

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 […]

Just – Do It

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 8, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success

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 […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 8, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success

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 […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Mike Corso

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 11, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

In a recent post, David wrote about a client who verbally and physically assaulted him when David made a “courtesy call” to this attorney’s office without an appointment. As David mentioned, this has never happened in our decades of doing business. In fact, most clients are happy to have us stop by for an impromptu […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 11, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Melissa and I obviously admire those clients about whom we have posted recently. These posts are about clients whom we have gotten to know in ways beyond the lawsuits and clients for whom they are working. Mike is remarkable to us in how multi dimensional he is. Because of his expertise in engineering, we first […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Tom Chase

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 4, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Among the amazing attorneys with whom I have had the pleasure to work is an attorney who lives and works in my hometown, Fort Myers, Florida. Although this series of posts has been about attorneys in Fort Myers, there is no other attorney, indeed, person, who is like the one I am going to write […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 4, 2015

Meeting Tom for the first time, about 20 years ago, I wasn’t sure what to think. His vivid story of one of his cases, which was one of those “truth is stranger than fiction” stories, has stuck with me forever, as it has with all who have heard it. It was not just the story […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Pat Geraghty

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 28, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Soon after starting my company, Magnus Research Consultants, with my spouse/business partner, I had the opportunity to meet an attorney in my hometown, Fort Myers, Florida, named Patrick Geraghty. Since that time, Pat has been a great friend, a loyal client, and a source of endless information about a variety of topics. I have had […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 28, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

As the one who was learning about my spouse’s hometown, finding out the back story on much of what happens in Ft. Myers has been interesting. And, Pat Geraghty is a man in the know, therefore, he and Melissa have had much to discuss over the years. I know there are power brokers in every […]

Fort Myers connection & Magnus: Kim Hart

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 21, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Many years ago, I met an attorney in my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, named Kim Patrick Hart. I will begin this post with some background. Kim and I are close in age, but we attended rival high schools. I graduated from the original high school, Fort Myers Senior High School (go Green Wave!) and […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 21, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

You never know how things will turn out at a first meeting. I met Kim not long after starting Magnus in 1993 (Melissa met him a few years earlier). Though we had worked in the trial consulting world for a few years, and Melissa longer than me, we were starting “from scratch” and making cold […]

Buddy Schulz

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 14, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

In my decades long career as a social psychologist who works as a litigation research consultant, I have encountered thousands of attorneys. Most of the attorneys for whom I have provided research and consulting services have been professional, pleasant, and of above average intelligence. A few have been exceptional in one or more positive ways. […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 14, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

I have to admit that, when we scheduled our first meeting with Buddy, I was a bit intimidated. Magnus was new and he was the head of litigation for his firm, nationwide. We had a couple of connections that opened the door to meeting him and that meeting was the start of a very positive […]

Working on a Roller Coaster

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 25, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

After well over 20 years in the trial consulting business, I hoped the work load would smooth out and there would not be a constant peak and valley cycle of business. Alas, it appears we’re on a perpetual roller coaster. The cycle is such that there are times we are slammed with what seems like […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 25, 2015

For the most part, living life on the roller coaster has become easier for me with the passage of time. There used to be a time when, after weeks or months of not having any work to do, I would become convinced we would never work again. Then, just as I had given up all […]

Directness

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 23, 2015

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

No one has ever accused me of “beating around the bush” or being coy. If I say something, there is never any doubt about what I mean and where the other person stands. My employees have sometimes bristled from the feedback I have provided about their poor quality work, even though they have been told […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 23, 2015

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

Melissa’s comments are very direct in this post, as they are in her everyday communications. And, while she mentions employee errors, she is also very direct when employees are doing things right. That is, she reinforces their good performance and provides direct praise. And, there is also a need to point out that, while she […]

When to keep quiet

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 9, 2015

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

As my late mother used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice about someone (or something), don’t say anything at all.” As a very opinionated person, I have often had difficulty following this motto; however, there are times when the reprehensible behavior, outlandish conduct, or unbelievably stupid comment of someone renders me with nothing […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 9, 2015

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

Building on what Melissa has written, I am thinking of the old adage, “better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt,” except in this analysis, it would “better to avoid a confrontation than to open your mouth and get into one!” It has been interesting to observe over […]

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Archive | Business personalities

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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