Archive | Business personalities

Have Plants in the Office

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 20, 2015

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

I love plants of all types, including plants commonly referred to as house plants. I spent one summer working in a wholesale nursery in The Redlands, south of Miami, where I learned a lot about taking care of plants. I have plants in my company’s office and I am the primary caretaker of the plants. […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 20, 2015

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

New employees have to meet the plants quickly. And, even I have had to come to understand Melissa’s love of them. She remembers when she got them, where she got them and how, in some cases, she had to nurture them to health. But I do appreciate the benefits they provide in ambiance and, though […]

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Can you Trust anyone?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 8, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

In small businesses, as in life, it is important to consider whether you can trust a person.  The people around the business may be employees, clients, or vendors and each relationship is unique.  And, as important as trust is, when it is violated there are repercussions, sometimes expensive ones.  We have certainly had more than […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 8, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

Trust is an interesting personality construct that varies greatly among people and depends on a person’s life experiences, particularly experiences early in life. In the same manner in which my spouse/business partner differ on many traits, we differ greatly in the degree to which we trust other people. My partner, who had a more idyllic […]

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Write it down

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 6, 2015

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

No one can remember everything; it just isn’t possible. Knowing the limitations of human memory and not wanting to forget any important information, I take notes and write down details pertaining to almost every aspect of my life. I take notes when speaking on the telephone to clients; I write down daily “to do” lists, […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 6, 2015

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

As an employer of people just starting their careers post college, it has been fascinating to me to have to tell many, though not all, of them to “write it down.” This has come natural to me for some reason – like Melissa, I have always written it down in some way shape or form. […]

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When I’m done, I’m done

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 23, 2014

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

I am not the kind of person who can be pushed around, by anyone, including myself. In many ways, I am like the battery operated bunny that long ago advertised a certain brand of battery: I am either running full speed ahead or I am very wound down until the point of stopping. When I […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 23, 2014

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

When entertaining dinner guests, and my grandfather tired of their company, he was known to say to my grandmother, “Vi, let’s go to bed so these people can go home.” He was done, and had a unique way of saying so. Being done, as Melissa puts it, is hitting a wall. There are times when […]

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Learn how to type

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 16, 2014

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work

Like many women in my age cohort (but not as many men), I took typing as an elective course in high school. The only reason I signed up for a typing class was that it was offered early in the morning, which allowed me to end classes an hour earlier than the customary end of […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 16, 2014

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work

And though Melissa’s QWERTY skills are not as strong as they would have been if she had persisted in that typing class, as I did, she’s pretty fast, and accurate as well. I persevered in my typing class and, though I wasn’t the fastest typist in the class (I think I remember who was), typing […]

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Risk Behavior

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 11, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Work-Life

There are risks in most things which are worth doing.  Certainly, in careers, there are many risks to consider whether working as an employee or as a business owner/entrepreneur.  Neither approach is risk free.  But, being an entrepreneur squarely puts the risk on the shoulders of the entrepreneur.  When my wife and I first started […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 11, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Work-Life

I am not a risk taker, in most aspects of my life. I am not a gambler; I prefer a sure thing over an uncertain windfall any day. However, I must be more risk oriented than I ever realized, in that owning and operating a small corporation is risky business. As I have mentioned in […]

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Quit writing when your hand hurts

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 9, 2014

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees

“Quit writing when your hand hurts” is a metaphor that expresses the idea to quit when you’re ahead, know when to give up, know when it is time to throw in the towel, etc. In the often competitive environment in which I live and work, it is difficult to stop working; there is always more […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 9, 2014

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees

Determining when one is about to “hit a wall” is important to avoid personal crashes, of any sort. Knowing your limits is something that is harder for some people to learn than others. But it is important to know when not to press on, when you will suffer from diminishing returns or performance and learning […]

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Technical support temperament

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 4, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

It is important to know one’s strengths and weaknesses and, in a partnership, to divide tasks in a way that recognizes them.  Strengths and weaknesses take many forms, but one of the potential areas to consider in a partnership is whose temperament is better suited to dealing with “technical support” or “customer service.”   In our […]

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David is right. I do not “suffer fools gladly,” and therefore, I cannot tolerate speaking with technical support people, who, in my opinion, often lack both technical expertise and support skills. Sadly, although David’s time is just as valuable as mine, my refusal to be placed on hold for what seems like hours, only to […]

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Business Associates are not Friends

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 2, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

I am a strong advocate of the adage, “business and pleasure do not mix” even though I co-own a business with my spouse. What works for my spouse/business partner and me does not necessarily work for other people. Indeed, I have found that becoming overly friendly with employees, or conversely, hiring a friend to work […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 2, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

When people work together for long periods of time and often, through the adversities of business, some form of friendship can and does develop. But, as long as one of the parties is paying the other to do something, the relationship is one to be handled carefully. I have become very friendly with some people […]

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One Night Stands are Never Better than Friendship

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 18, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

I have always treasured the special relationship I have with my friends. I am the type of person who has always been surrounded by friends, both male and female. I spend a lot of time nurturing my friendships and I try very hard to be a good friend, including being loyal, kind, and considerate even […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 18, 2014

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Life Outside of Work, Managing Employees, Partnerships, Work-Life

I guess this point is a matter of having priorities and keeping them straight. And, keeping them in alignment between friends. Being put in the second fiddle role indicates that one doesn’t value the friendship as much as the other. If that is the case, one has to ask, why continue the friendship? In a […]

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