Archive | Careers

Things Easy for You Are Real Hard for Me

As anyone who knows me soon realizes, I am not a “normal person.” I never have been and I never will be. My mom used to marvel that, despite the many differences between people my age and me, I had the ability to make, and keep, friends. I have usually been accepted by people who […]

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I think sometimes about how the life Melissa and I share personally and professionally is built on trade offs of strengths and weaknesses.  Long ago, a client/friend remarked “David must be here to carry Melissa’s luggage.”  We were attending a conference where she was speaking, and this client/friend had invited her to speak.  He was […]

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Things Hard for You Are Easy for Me

Everyone is different from everyone else. Some people find it easy to do certain things, while other people have to work hard to accomplish a particular task, and others can’t do it at all. It just depends. I perform high level work, in a challenging occupation, that most people cannot do, while some people who […]

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I remember my mother quoting an elderly neighbor, who became a good friend of hers, saying “Mrs. Beach says, isn’t it good we are not all alike, life would be so boring.”  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and it is the combination of peoples’ strengths that move society forward, if not as a whole, in […]

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Know What You Don’t Know

Many years ago, a college professor of mine told me that knowing what you don’t know (or that you don’t know something) is an important sign of intelligence. It was an enlightening discussion and I think I’ve mentioned this in another post. But, it bears further discussion because we seem to live in a world […]

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Formality Never Hurts

In thinking about the job candidates who failed to get out of the starting gate due to their wardrobe choices, I reflected on how formality provides a guide for “good” behavior. Being formal in addressing people with “Ms.,” “Mr.,” “Dr.,” etc. is a good starting place. It is likely you will soon be told to […]

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Social psychologists have an explanation for most kinds of people’s encounters with others.  In the situations to which David refers, one’s self monitoring level is crucial to the impression they make upon others.  Self monitoring is defined as the degree to which people regulate the way they present themselves, including their emotions and behaviors, in […]

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Dress for the Interview

Job interviews are something with which Melissa and I have had considerable experience over the last 30 years. We’ve revised our procedures over time, but we have always utilized an in-person interview as a final part of the process. Regardless of the position for which we are interviewing, we, as a professional practice serving a […]

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I love people!  I really do!  I am constantly entertained and surprised by the things people do and say.  Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!  David’s post was prompted by our most recent job interview, which was of the shortest duration in the history of Magnus.  Why?  Because the job candidate, a young male, […]

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Employees Should Cover Each Other

This is the 3rd in a series about “covering” or looking out for each other in a work environment. The need to do this is on a top down, down to top, and peer to peer basis. In the immediately prior post, I mentioned an employee who was hostile to another employee. The fact that […]

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Although it has been over 30 years since I have been an employee, as opposed to an employer, I can recall what it was like to have co-workers and colleagues.  The best example I am aware of is my colleague, and now, long time friend, Dr. Susan Broome, who looked out for me in an […]

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Cover the Employee’s Back

As I wrote the prior post about the need for employees to cover the boss’ back, I had this post, and the next one, in mind, because covering for each other is critical. It is important for a boss to keep the health and well being of the employees in mind. In our 30+ years […]

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I strive to be a good boss.  I thank all of my employees, and vendors, for completing tasks to which they have been assigned.  I thank the employees at the end of every work day for everything they have done that day to help me.  I am aware that, absent the help I receive from […]

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Expand Your Horizons: Johnny Cash, Jazz…

Expand your horizons. Exit your comfort zone. Try new things. Visit new places. Meet new people. These are mantras to which I aspire. Many people are too afraid to venture outside things they’ve always done. They go to the same restaurants, then order the same things off the menu. When it comes to music, some […]

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How broad one’s horizons, or comfort zones, are is probably relative.  While some people consider Melissa and me to be adventurous in certain respects like music or food, I know, I for one, still draw a line somewhere.  I know I have limitations based on foods because of 2 things.  One is an allergy issue […]

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Cover the Boss’ Back

Who has your back? As a business owner, doing everything is difficult. The ability to rely on employees is critical. In this post, I am reflecting on how some employees are better than others at thinking of the boss’ or company’s best interest. Those who don’t think about the boss, or the company, are a […]

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I need help.  I need a lot of help.  In my job as a trial/jury consultant, it is impossible for me to function independently, without assistance from numerous other people.  Although I have considerable expertise, and years of experience, performing my primary job duties, I rely on David, and our employees, to assist me with […]

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Reactive v. Proactive

My mother used to tell me that she, as well as almost everyone else, would “have to get up before breakfast to stay ahead of me.” For readers of this post who are unfamiliar with, as Mom used to say “old South Carolina sayings,” this means that, all things considered, I work and move at […]

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I don’t think of the proactive/reactive dichotomy as just an issue of speed, but of priorities.  And, in fairness to our clients (attorneys), many reactive behaviors are a part of the job.  They must react to rulings by the court, motions or pleadings by the other side, client demands, etc.  It is not just attorneys, […]

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