Archive | Getting Through Life and Work

Gum chewing

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 1, 2016

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

Almost everyone has a bad habit or more than one bad habit. And, people being people, most people with a bad habit prefer to perceive their bad habit as merely a habit, or a routine, or a preference, absent the negative connotation associated with the expression, “bad habit.” My habit, bad, good, or otherwise, is […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 1, 2016

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

Some of these posts are just fun to think about, and one thing the reader may be wondering is, “Why are they writing that”?  As we contemplated our blog, we started listing topics, a handful came to us quickly.  This one is #99 on Melissa’s list.  So, my response to her both on choosing the […]

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It’s obvious to you, it’s your company

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 25, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

In our posts we have often written about things some of our employees have said, without thinking first. Or, maybe in some instances they didn’t think enough. One such utterance was this: “It’s obvious to you; you own the company…” said in defense of an employee’s mistake when she attempted to deflect blame from herself […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 25, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

A lot of things are obvious to me when they are not obvious to other people.  There are several fundamental differences between many people and me.  Most people spend too much time: (1) being self absorbed; (2) not paying attention to their surroundings; (3) using only one of their five senses, to the exclusion of […]

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When not to park in a disabled parking place

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 23, 2016

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

Just as there are people who need to park in disabled parking place, there are people, most people, in fact, who do not need to park in a disabled parking space. Prior to co-owning our business, my spouse and I had the unpleasant experience of working for a person who had a particularly vile penchant […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 23, 2016

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

I, too, hope karma, or something, will have a way with the person Melissa references.  I don’t know if it will, but neither of us had ever experienced anything like we observed with this person Melissa mentions.  One hears stories about people who abuse parking privileges such as this, and though at the time of […]

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When to use a disabled parking pass

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 16, 2016

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

Many people probably think they know everything about this topic, however, my experiences indicate there is more to using a disabled parking pass than the casual observer may believe. One of the main rules for using a disabled parking pass, of course, is that the user must actually, legitimately, and legally be disabled. (An upcoming […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 16, 2016

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

My quick take on the concept of “when to use a disabled parking pass” is use it when you need it!  While there are some people who use them when they don’t need them – stay tuned for more on that in another blog – there are also those whose sense of independence is such […]

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Being ethical can be expensive

I have always enjoyed the intellectual aspects of considering the ethical aspects of life and work. One of my favorite graduate school courses was business ethics and I had other classes on the subject in college, and decades ago, in a church youth group. The topics often were mind opening – considering what to do […]

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People have often criticized me for being too goody, goody; too prim and proper; and for taking an unpopular stance by not going along with the crowd.  Upon receiving this criticism, I usually remark that I am not working on a popularity contest; I am working to do the right thing. As an example, I […]

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Help people

I have received a lot of help from people over the years, mostly from my two “big” brothers. As the only daughter of my parents and one considerably younger than my two dear brothers, I have turned to each of them on countless occasions for all kinds of help, including financial, advice on how to […]

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I grew up with parents who were always willing to help others.  They would quickly invite my friends to visit, or come to dinner, including a near ritual Sunday night pizza feast that usually included several friends.  In an open and non judgmental way, they were always willing to include an array of friends.  My […]

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Either you are wrong or I am right. Part 2: Clients

As I was writing the post, “Either you are wrong or I am right,” I thought that, like the album title from which it came, About Face (by David Gilmour) there are perhaps more than 1 way to contemplate this lyric. In the first post I wrote about the implications of behaving, in a personal […]

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I admit to being frustrated by some clients’ insistence that they know everything there is to know, including in an area in which they have zero expertise.  However, I am somewhat entertained by their willingness to set themselves up for failure, when something happens to disprove their incorrect assumptions, and I usually ask them to […]

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Either you are wrong or I am right. Part 1: Business Partners

One of the songs from David Gilmour’s 1984 Album About Face was titled “You Know I’m Right.” I enjoyed the entire album by Pink Floyd’s vocalist and (extraordinary) guitarist, starting with the album title which seemed so clever in its dual meanings. But, the lyrics of this song were particularly compelling to think about how […]

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I am not sure whether this statement, “Either you are wrong or I am right” was aimed at a particular person, nor do I know whether it was intended to be interpreted in a tongue in cheek manner.  I am certain, however, that it made a lasting impression on David because he frequently quotes it […]

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Is it worth getting up at 6 a.m. for that Chamber meeting?

To quickly answer the question in my title, I don’t know. But, I am getting ahead of myself. When we started Magnus in 1993 it seemed like it might be worthwhile to network in certain ways. One of them was to join the Chamber of Commerce and go to the early morning breakfast meetings. It […]

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A long time client of Magnus recently told David that David has the hardest job in our company, in that it involves performing many tasks people often consider undesirable.  One of these tasks is attending networking functions, including those disguised as “social events” because adult beverages are served.  Of all the networking events David has […]

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Jumping up and down when TV breaks

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Temper tantrums are never cute. They are not cute among children and they are certainly not cute among adults. (My husband’s relative had a temper tantrum in our home when he was way too old for such a violent outburst, resulting in my having to repair and re-paint the wall he repeatedly kicked, such that […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Our work in the trial consulting arena necessitates the use of technologies that are not perfect.  And, we work in unfamiliar places, with rented equipment like televisions, all of which lead to problems with some regularity.  This is one of those areas where, in our work, “ it happens.”  But, we are almost always able, […]

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