Archive | Getting Through Life and Work

Educating clients, without alienating them

An aspect of our trial consulting business that is sometimes difficult to address is that, as noted in other posts, we have competitors with a wide variety of qualifications, from those like us, with extensive educational backgrounds and degrees, to those with no education beyond high school. Further, some of our competitors are so uneducated […]

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The title of this post is “Educating Clients, without Alienating Them,” however, there are some clients who, in my opinion, have no hope of becoming educated about the reasons why they should hire my company over one of our unqualified competitors, such that I wish the title could be, “Alienating Clients without Educating them.” Some […]

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You were a kid

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 12, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

At what point does one “grow up”? And why is the expression, “grow up!” used to chastise someone who behaves badly? It seems to me that people of a certain age (which differs from person to person) reach a point in their life when they forget they used to be kids. When this point is […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 12, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

Some people I know (we know) never grew up. They are oversized kids. Some of these people are our clients. But, most of these people have an adult persona that they use as well. To continue enjoying the joys of discovery, exploration, and life as experienced by a kid whose life includes fun is what […]

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Hiring Expertise

A recent client encounter prompts this post.  The client was requesting what we refer to as a “proposal” for mock jury research.  She repeatedly called it a “bid” and I guess it is.  It is (unfortunately) increasingly common that clients seek competitive bids.  And, while I understand this, and do the same for some minor […]

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From the earliest days of co-owning Magnus with David, it has never been our desire to be the cheapest provider of any research or consulting service we provide. It is acceptable, in my view, to provide high quality work at a reasonable/fair price, but being the low cost bidder is not something to which I […]

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Be kind to kids

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 5, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

In a recent post, I wrote about being kind to old people (or, in politically correct terms, senior citizens). In this post, I will express my views about being kind to young people, otherwise known as kids. Although it has been many decades since I was a kid, now that I have lived for more […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 5, 2016

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

Like Melissa, I was fortunate growing up to have had adults treat me respectfully. In fact, I can’t remember any who did not. But, I do recall those who were tolerant or even welcoming, those who taught me to fish or hunt and about the outdoors in general. I recall adults who took an interest […]

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Be kind to old people

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 21, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Even though we view ourselves in consistent ways that often do not involve seeing ourselves as participants in the aging process, time marches on and all of us get older with each passing day. With any luck at all, some of us will live to old age, while others of us will live to become […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 21, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I remember when, as a teenager, a friend of my father’s celebrated his 55th birthday. I remember thinking that 55 seemed old, and that this guy didn’t look or act old. Now that I’m that age, there are days when feeling old is my new normal. But, when I was maybe 15, being 40 years […]

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I am the Greatest

At the time of this writing, Muhammad Ali passed away less than one week ago. Everyone who knows me well knows Muhammad Ali has been one of my heroes since I was a child.  I grew up reading the Miami Herald and, because Muhammad Ali had close ties to Miami Beach and its 5th Street […]

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Though I have always been aware of Muhammad Ali and have known some of the history, I have not had the long connection with his legacy as Melissa has.  But, having watched documentaries about him, like the movie about the Rumble in the Jungle, I recognized how impressive he was, in and out of the […]

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Optimism is Hard Work

I recently attended a 99th birthday celebration for a wonderful woman who has blazed trails her entire life. Her name is Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne; she is Chancellor Emeritus of Jacksonville University, my alma mater. I have written about Fran in the past, probably more than once. But, a point made during the celebration of […]

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My late mother, who lived until the age of 93, frequently said, “You can choose to be happy or you can choose not to be happy.”  She also had a scrap of paper, attached to her refrigerator door, on which she had written, “I am alive. Life is good. God is with me. I am […]

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Confluence of events April 2 & 3, 2016

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 7, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Recent posts for which I have been first author have included pairs of interesting events which, depending on how they are viewed, could be mere coincidences or things that were connected for an unknown reason. I do not have visionary powers to know the answer, but I will say I am not inclined to view […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 7, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I suppose none of us will ever know how life’s events coincide. Leola (Melissa’s mother) is a common thread in some of these events and she did seem to have some eerie powers.  (But, that is another story.)  Nonetheless, in relatively rapid succession in 2016, at least 5 events were interconnected and connected to things […]

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When employees become scrap paper

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 2, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

I have to start this post by saying that I hate to waste paper which kills trees, but I also hate to waste resources for which I have already paid. If there is some way to benefit, even at a reduced value level, I try to not waste green paper either. I was thinking about […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 2, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

My mom was the first recycling aficionado I knew. She was also fond of the expression that something was “not worth the paper it was printed on.” I guess the paper referenced in her expression is money, meaning that whatever Mom was disparaging was, in her opinion, worthless. I would not go as far as […]

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Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 31, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

“Enter Sandman” is a great song by Metallica. I have heard this song many, many times and although I have always liked it, it never held personal meaning for me until Saturday, April 2, 2016. In David’s and my house, music is almost always playing. One of the first things I do upon waking every […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 31, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work

And, with that we were into night, though it was not yet 10 a.m. Fortunately, fresh from Ft. Myers, were 2 rays of light that kept the darkness at bay. But, once again, a strange coincidence had given us the powerful Metallica song, at a time, determined by some anonymous DJ or programmer that it […]

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