Archive | Careers

Chokehold of Technology

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 12, 2020

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

Technology is great, except when it isn’t. As written in a prior post, Magnus relocated its office. Moving furniture and artwork is one thing, moving computers, phones, etc. is quite another. We were fortunate in that our new office space was pre-wired in a way that was easily adaptable. What was unanticipated was the degree […]

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Although I am certainly not a Luddite (or, for that matter, a Neanderthal!), I am not particularly fond of technology.  In my opinion, many so called “high tech” devices are unreliable and tend to break far more often than the old devices they replaced.  For example, when Magnus moved into its original office in 1996, […]

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I’ve Got a Bartender Ear

There are many inspirations for David’s and my posts, but the most common source of my inspirations is music. I love music, more than I love psychology, and the interrelationship of music and psychology is fascinating to me. One of my favorite musicians is Jimmy Buffett, who wrote a song called, “School Boy Heart.” There […]

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It is fascinating to observe Melissa being approached by friends, and, with some regularity, strangers, with their problems.  Sometimes, significant problems.  She has told me that it was, in part, because of this frequent occurrence that she studied psychology.  But, beyond that bartender ear, listening is a very important skill for business and life – […]

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Creative Bursts

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 22, 2020

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Work-Life

As I write this, I’ve already written 4 other posts this afternoon. That’s the way this process works for me. I don’t know how creative I am when writing these, but the point is they happen in bursts. I’ve found it takes finding the right frame of mind, and perhaps, some quiet time, to think […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 22, 2020

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Work-Life

Between the two of us, David is definitely more creative than I am.  As a photographer, he has an artistic side about which many of Magnus’ clients are unaware.  When David is in the “zone” on one of his photo safaris, it is a good idea not to bother him.  I am easily bored and, […]

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Clipped Wings

Due to recent world events, most people’s lives have changed in ways that would, previously, have been unimaginable. Although some of my retired friends and family members tell me that they stayed home, often alone, before the pandemic and thus, haven’t noticed many changes in their daily lives, the rest of us have noticed lots […]

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Melissa and I have posted much about travel for work or pleasure, including a list of places we’ve been (https://magnus.lisawhitsell.com/2016/06/ive-been-everywhere/). And, we have generally enjoyed our travels.  Sure, it is tiring and stressful, but the rewards are many.  Our work requires travel to the trial venue so that our case assessments are conducted based on people […]

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I’ve Got a Lot to Learn

I’ve got a lot to learn. In fact, I’ve got more things to learn than time remaining in my life to learn about them. I learn new things every day. The learning process, for me, never stops. In my occupation as a social psychologist, I routinely read about the new research in my area. I […]

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Thinking one knows everything about everything, or even everything about one thing, is usually a sign that the know it all person is badly mistaken.  There are always more things to learn and those at the top of their professions, or specialities, know that.  There are people who believe they know just enough to get […]

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Online Mock Jury Research

Magnus Research Consultants has entered the online age and now offers Verdict Perception Research™ among our other services. Verdict Perception Research™ involves recruiting jury eligible citizens from a trial venue who watch pre-recorded presentations (arguments) made by attorneys regarding a lawsuit, then deliberate until they reach a unanimous verdict. While there are many differences between […]

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For many years, we at Magnus resisted adding online mock jury research to our repertoire, mainly for the limitations Melissa noted in her part of this post.  But, necessity drove us to explore the technology options and there were many options!  That variation was another of our hesitations in that some of what passes for […]

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Don’t panic. Fix it!

This post builds on the last post about not letting them (the client) see you panic. Don’t panic – just fix it – is a worthwhile mantra in the workplace, and in life. Panic and fear get in the way of fixing things. I was a Boy Scout long enough to learn about the need […]

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David and I share the same philosophy: Don’t panic – just fix it!  I will never, ever, forget the time when one of our long ago employees broke the toilet seat, and instead of admitting what she had done, panicked and remained silent.  Guess who was the next person to use the restroom and attempt […]

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Don’t let them see you panic

We keep a list of topics for these posts; this one was added to the list several years ago and I’m just getting around to writing about it. I preface the post with that because the incident(s) which inspired it were even longer ago and happened with former, not current, team members. The incidents usually […]

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Over the years I have been working as a trial consultant, I have had many reasons to panic.  I have also had many opportunities to observe my staff members panic.  There are numerous things that can, and do, go wrong, including things over which we have no control and things that occur from mistakes, carelessness, […]

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Ghost Notes

I’ve been thinking recently about how one ever demonstrates that nothing happened because something did happen. Specifically, with regard to the protests over police shootings, police abuse, etc., how does one demonstrate that new policies make a difference? The difference is noticed only when nothing happens. Undoubtedly, most police officer shootings happen because the officer […]

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David’s reference to ghost notes is quite impressive!  Ghost notes are important to me, as a bass player.  They are place holders, serving to keep the rhythm while not making a discernable musical sound.  On the thick strings of a bass guitar, ghost notes sound like a mini cymbal, leading the way to the playing […]

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Bob Arnold

I met Bob Arnold in 1986, relatively soon after David and I started dating. At the time I met Bob, he was a client of David’s when David was employed as a professional photographer. David was eager to introduce Bob and me, due to the fact that we are both self described “Beatles freaks.” For […]

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Back when I worked as photographer, I focused (get that) on a few types of clients.  One was the corporate market; public relations departments were usually my point of contact.  I was doing quite a bit of work for a large hospital, and someone new was hired in its PR department.  She suggested I meet […]

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