Archive | Business Relationships

Introduce yourself to the property manager

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 17, 2020

Category: Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Magnus Research Consultants has been headquartered in the same location since 1996. In the first few years in our office space, the owner of the building also had an office in the same building. He retired, then passed away, leaving his family in charge of his vast business holdings. When the building owner moved out, […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 17, 2020

Category: Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I wholeheartedly agree with Melissa. Ray is an interesting guy and, as with many relationships, it is beneficial to spend time getting to know people who impact one’s life, whether on a regular or infrequent basis. Running a business involves many moving parts, whether it is the property manager, the teller at the bank, the […]

You have control over your reactions

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 11, 2020

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

David and I have attended hundreds of meetings with attorneys and their clients in the decades we have owned and operated Magnus Research Consultants. Usually, these meetings are non eventful. Their purpose is often to explain to the end client (the person involved in the lawsuit) the advantages of retaining a litigation consultant to assist […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 11, 2020

Litigation is stressful! Having been there ourselves, Melissa and I know about the stress, the lost sleep, the lost focus on “real work,” and the time required to be an active participant in one’s case. I get it. I also know the costs of sticking one’s neck out – even if one must do it […]

I spend more time with lawyers than psychologists/colleagues

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 21, 2020

Category: Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Jury Consultants, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I have been a social psychologist for my entire career, however, my occupation has not been in the traditional trajectory within my field. Most social psychologists are university professors. In fact, it is somewhat frowned upon for social psychologists to work in occupations outside academia. My major professor has always looked down upon my work […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 21, 2020

Melissa has introduced me to more psychologists, and types of psychologists, than I ever knew existed when we first met. At that time, I was hanging around colleagues in my world of photography. While the photographers were visually creative, I came to learn and appreciate the creative minds of her psychology colleagues. Their conceptualization of […]

Whistleblowing isn’t easy

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 16, 2020

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Employment, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Partnerships, Psychology, Trial Consulting

Much has been in the news lately about people blowing whistles on allegations of corruption and abuse. Without discussing these specific situations, I want to address the act of sounding an alarm, or blowing a whistle. I have written something on this previously, but it warrants revisiting. I will start by saying that, if you […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 16, 2020

To the uninitiated, whistle blower means the same thing as tattletale. In fact, dictionary definitions of both terms list them as synonyms, along with others, such as betrayer, informant, nark, rat fink, and snitch. In my view, there are different circumstances that lead to the characterization of people who “tell on” others. For example, in […]

Pro bono work – why do it

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 14, 2020

Category: Business Partnerships, Business Relationships, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Giving Back, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

In the almost 30 years David and I have owned and operated Magnus Research Consultants, we have been privileged to work on several high profile pro bono cases. Pro bono means “for the public good” and it is usually performed by attorneys for free, that is, at no cost to their clients. Many lawyers are […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 14, 2020

The pro bono cases on which we’ve worked have been some of the most personally rewarding cases we have handled. While the intellectual rewards of the work we do are often felt, in these cases, it has been something special. The cases have been unique, cases with questions no one has had to answer previously, […]

If someone isn’t nice to me, they won’t see me again, ever.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 31, 2019

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

My time is valuable. It is valuable to me, if not to anyone else. (In that Magnus’ clients compensate my company, and thus, me, in relatively high amounts of money, I would argue that my time is perceived as valuable to someone other than me. But, I digress.) Because I value my time and my […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 31, 2019

Fortunately, as we wrote in the prior related post, our clients are usually nice, professional, even kind and friendly. We all know we’re working together for a common goal and egos usually stay in check. But, there are exceptions. I used the example of a particularly toxic client we once had who, with our help, […]

Most lawyers who hire me are nice to me

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 24, 2019

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

People are people, regardless of their profession. There are some people who are popular and well liked and there are others who are not well liked. Attorneys, of course, are people and, as such, there are some attorneys who are well liked and well respected by their colleagues and then, there are others, whom no […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 24, 2019

Many of our clients are feared by their opponents, and sometimes, their own staff and litigation team. I don’t know if the latter is a good thing, but I’ve seen it as an overall positive. Being feared by the opposition is probably generally positive as long as the fear is because the attorney’s litigation skills […]

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 […]

Unpaid Work

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 24, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

As entrepreneurs, Melissa and I often work without getting paid. The most common example from “my department” is talking with a prospective client about a new case, preparing a proposal, following up, only to hear that the project is a no go. Perhaps the price was beyond their budget, or the client wanted to use […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 24, 2019

People who lack the entrepreneurial mindset often can’t relate to David’s and my perspective regarding doing copious amounts of work for which we are not compensated. As an example, I have made hundreds of presentations to attorneys’ and insurance companies’ associations, most of which have involved zero payment to me. Why would I do such […]

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Archive | Business Relationships

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