Archive | Employment

Categories of Missed Opportunity

Some people have experienced significant loss, hardship, and a decline in physical and mental health during their lives. (I often think about Nelson Mandela’s 27 years of imprisonment as an example of this type of personal suffering.) Other people have had some serious setbacks, such as a bankruptcy, death of a parent, or a chronic […]

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Melissa wrote her part of this post some time ago, during the 2020 pandemic, and I’m playing catch up.  In a way, it is interesting to see how things have worked out over time, due to changes triggered by a pandemic.  Many things have changed permanently.  Work place changes are a big and obvious change.  […]

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Team Players and Other People

The concept of team work receives considerable attention in many types of situations, from the workplace, to education, to sports. At Magnus, David and I wholeheartedly endorse team work among our employees and including ourselves. Although, in sports terms, I am the “team captain” at Magnus, I cannot perform my job absent help from other […]

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Work teams take many forms.  In our world, I’ve long thought that our work most closely resembles a relay race team in the sports world.  With what we do, we have a baton starting at the intake of each new case.  That baton moves back and forth among team members throughout the duration of our […]

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Where am I?

The last couple of months have been pretty hectic, work wise. We’ve had several out of town cases and speaking engagements for Melissa and one night I woke up thinking, “where am I?” I suspect this is a phenomenon common to many “road warriors.” To borrow a line from the band, Bad Company, “And I’m […]

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I have stayed in too many hotel rooms to count in the 34 years I have been working as a trial consultant.  Most of my friends, and all of  my family members, do not travel for business and some hardly ever leave their home for a fun trip, such that they have no idea what […]

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I Hear Things

I hear things. You’ve got that right: I hear things. I often hear things other people cannot hear. My eyesight is extremely limited (in fact, I am legally blind without corrective lenses) and, as such, I have always relied on my keen sense of sound. In addition, because I have been a musician for almost […]

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Most of us enjoy having 5 senses, and I won’t venture into a 6th sense; I can attest to Melissa’s keen sense of hearing.  It goes well beyond her listening ability, for which our clients pay dearly.  Melissa can hear so well that the mocking birds in our yard that start singing wake her with their […]

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Don’t Make the Boss’ Job More Difficult

In the 50 years since I started my first job, I have been an employee for 20 years and an employer for 30 years. In my roles as employee, then employer, I have often marveled at some people’s absence of awareness of a fundamental workplace principle: Don’t make the boss’ job more difficult. There are […]

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I knew Rosemary, Melissa’s assistant at the hospital where they worked.  Rosemary was the epitome of professionalism and did her job in an excellent fashion which is why it was not long that she went from working for Melissa to working for Melissa’s boss.  In the 30+ years of Magnus we have, fortunately, had team […]

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If in Doubt, Ask.

It is okay to ask questions in life, in work. In the work environment, as an owner, manager, supervisor, or whatever I may be, whatever hat I may be wearing, I want to hear questions. I dislike it when an employee does not ask a question, for whatever reason, then does something wrong, or does […]

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Here’s a question for David: Why was your part of this post so short? But, to get to the point, I agree with David about asking questions, up to a point.  We recently terminated an employee who spent more time asking us stupid questions than using her brain.  This employee seemed, to me, to ask […]

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When Not to Wear Shorts

I live in Florida. I have lived in Florida almost all my life, with the exception of living out of state for a couple of years for employment reasons. I know it’s hot in my home state of Florida. I live here and if you’re hot when we are together, I am probably hot too. […]

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In my mind, there are many “costumes” which are appropriate in different situations.  As a photographer, I dressed to blend into the environment where I would be shooting.  If it was a business event, I would wear a shirt/tie or sometimes, a tuxedo, to seem to be a part of the event.  Casual events, like […]

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3.8 Miles

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 13, 2023

Category: Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Research, RoadWarrior, Trial Consultants, Work-Life

I recently had fun attending Wings over Homestead 2023. It was an air show featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Their amazing flying displays in F16 Fighting Falcons captivate me, and apparently, thousands of others who were in attendance. Other aircraft were flying showing off the pilots’ skills and the capabilities of the aircraft, new […]

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I’m glad David measures the distance he walks.  I walk for exercise as often as my schedule permits, but I have never measured the distance.  In the lovely neighborhood where David and I live, there are numerous areas where it is possible to walk, including many walking paths.  As long as we stay off the […]

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Someone else will do it – but I’m the someone else

“I’ll get around to it.” “ I was going to do that.” “Oh, you beat me to it.” I hear these comments on a frequent basis. Most people move more slowly than me, including some who go through life at a snail’s pace. When I start cleaning up their mess, picking their trash off the […]

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It becomes a personal challenge of mine to stay ahead of Melissa, where I can.  And, there are many times when she wants something done that I’ve already accomplished.  Further, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cleaned up something that she never saw on the floor and our counters, at home or the […]

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Constant Reinvention

Much of what we do as trial consultants remains constant over time. Social science research is well established in terms of methodologies such that the changes are in the margins. Technological changes are not a major factor in our world, yet, we constantly look at processes and technologies to improve our work. Among those have […]

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David and I are rarely on the cutting edge when it comes to adopting new technology and new ways of doing things, however, we are usually light years ahead of most people we know.  Recently, we have had the pleasure of hosting 2 of my friends/colleagues in our home for an extended period.  Both of […]

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