Archive | Getting the Job Done

Changed Litigation Mindsets

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 12, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

Melissa and I have been working with trial lawyers and litigators for 25+ years conducting mock trials and more on high stakes litigation. We have recently been reflecting on some of the changes we have observed and how significant, but perhaps subtle, some of them are in terms of their lasting impact. Certainly ADR, in […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 12, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

There are as many reasons to retain the services of organizations like Magnus as there are attorneys who litigate cases. However, all too often, consultants who assist attorneys with the human dynamics of litigation are “pigeon holed” due to erroneous perceptions about what we do. It has always been the case, since I began working […]

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Mom’s 100th Birthday & Roger

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 10, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I am fortunate to have many dear friends whom I have known since childhood. The longest term friendship I have dates from the nursery at my church, where I met Linda when we were 2 years old. We have remained friends since then. I have several friends dating back to kindergarten and many more from […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 10, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I don’t know if it is an alignment of the stars, or what, but the fact that the events happened in the way Melissa described made the reunion with Roger even more meaningful. We all deal with issues in our lives and when they are enough to send friends on different paths, it sometimes seems […]

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Be nice to the Assistants and Associates

When we work with a trial team our client is the lead attorney. Though we own the company, we know the lead attorney is our boss, at least as far as that case is concerned. And, that boss is almost always the boss of many other people. Some trial teams have lots of lawyers, paralegals, […]

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I have never understood why some people have only enough niceness and courtesy to bestow on the people at “the top,” leaving none for the rest of those with whom they interact.  It is not the case, in my opinion, that there is a finite quantity of pleasant emotions, such that they have to be […]

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Traveling for Work does not mean Fun & Games

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 28, 2016

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Travel, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Any reader who travels extensively as part of work can skip this post because you know the realities. We travel to trial venues for mock jury research and the reality is that traveling for work is work in itself. Over the years I have had friends whose jobs do not involve travel say our job […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 28, 2016

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Travel, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

I can’t begin to count the number of times that, upon returning home from a business trip, I have sung (loudly): “Gee, but it’s great to be back home.   Home is where I want to be.   I’ve been on the road so long my friend. And if you came along I know you […]

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If you are bored, you are boring

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 21, 2016

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

I heard the statement which is the title of this post many years ago when one of “Fran’s friends” visited Jacksonville University as part of Dr. Fran Kinne’s efforts to broaden the horizons of JU students. Dr. Kinne was, at the time, the President of JU and her Rolodex (for those too young to remember, […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 21, 2016

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

“I’m bored” is something I learned, from an early age, never to say to my mother.  If I made the mistake of whining or whimpering something approaching “I’m bored,” Mom would assign one or more tasks to me, most of which were undesirable, to occupy my time.  Having grown up mostly alone, due to my […]

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Traveling as a team

Like Palidin, the adventurous, “gentleman gunfighter for hire,” played by Richard Boone in the TV series from 1958 to 1963, whose calling card said, “Have Gun will Travel”, as trial consultants, we go where the action is. The action is the case; we travel to the trial venues. Members of the Magnus team have worked […]

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I met a naive young person recently who, upon learning I travel with a team of people for work purposes, remarked, “That must be great not to travel alone!”, to which I replied, “It depends on who is traveling with me.”  I have traveled far and wide in the performance of my job on behalf […]

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Bad Employees

One of the inspirations for this blog, as has been noted previously, was the 2011 movie starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis. It was a comedy about an oppressive boss and work environment that I quite enjoyed. But, I have to say, when I first heard the title, it was at a time […]

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I have been working since I was 15 years old.  In the years since I have been working, I have had my fair share of bad bosses, bad co-workers, bad subordinates, and bad employees (not to mention bad clients and bad assistants of clients).  David and I rarely forget the bad experiences we have had […]

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If you know an employee is drinking on job, tell the boss!

Many years ago we had a secretary working for us who had a secret; let’s call her “Polly.” And, the secret manifested itself in a strange way. For the first few months of her employment we had no issues. Then we started noticing that she performed okay in the morning, but not as well in […]

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Drinking alcohol on the job is never a good idea (unless one is a professional wine taster or something similar).  I have worked with many, many people over the years who were intoxicated on the job or who were experiencing the ill effects of intoxicants they consumed prior to reporting for work.  I have also […]

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Be kind to animals

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 22, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I am an animal lover. I like animals, particularly cats, more than I like many people. (I like dogs, as well as other kinds of animals, but I have a special affinity for felines of all breeds, including big cats, such as jaguars.) In my encounters in life, I have discovered there are lots of […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 22, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I have known people, including one of my grandmothers, who were deathly afraid of animals due to a bad experience in childhood.  But, thankfully, I have been around many more people who loved animals and saw them, whether dogs or cats, as their best friends.  I grew up with lots of dogs and cats around, […]

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Help the boss – it is why you have a job

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 17, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Over the years we have had a few employees who failed to comprehend that Job # 1 was helping the bosses help the clients. Regardless of what we as bosses are doing, we need the employees to be “support staff.” More than 1 employee has been fixated on a task to the point that we […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 17, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

I have never understood why some employees fail to realize their only purpose is to work for their employer.  And further, I do not understand why some employees fail to realize that working for their employer means performing job duties requested by their employer.  For me, the only point of going to work is to […]

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