Archive | Magnus

Chokehold of Technology

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 12, 2020

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

Technology is great, except when it isn’t. As written in a prior post, Magnus relocated its office. Moving furniture and artwork is one thing, moving computers, phones, etc. is quite another. We were fortunate in that our new office space was pre-wired in a way that was easily adaptable. What was unanticipated was the degree […]

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Although I am certainly not a Luddite (or, for that matter, a Neanderthal!), I am not particularly fond of technology.  In my opinion, many so called “high tech” devices are unreliable and tend to break far more often than the old devices they replaced.  For example, when Magnus moved into its original office in 1996, […]

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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

By now, readers of these posts know that Melissa and I often use lyrics, song titles, or music references thus, this title is borrowed from a David Bowie song. In thinking of the content for this post, I came up with several potential titles. I kept the simplest of them but also considered “Time for […]

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I am a person who thrives on change.  I dislike following the same old routine, day after day, year after year.  This being said, it amazes me that Magnus Research Consultants has been located it the same office since 1996!  That’s almost 25 years!  (Although Magnus was founded in 1993, it was based in David’s […]

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I’ve Got a Bartender Ear

There are many inspirations for David’s and my posts, but the most common source of my inspirations is music. I love music, more than I love psychology, and the interrelationship of music and psychology is fascinating to me. One of my favorite musicians is Jimmy Buffett, who wrote a song called, “School Boy Heart.” There […]

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It is fascinating to observe Melissa being approached by friends, and, with some regularity, strangers, with their problems.  Sometimes, significant problems.  She has told me that it was, in part, because of this frequent occurrence that she studied psychology.  But, beyond that bartender ear, listening is a very important skill for business and life – […]

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Exercise for the Brain

When writing the recent post on learning new things, I was reminded of several conversations I had with Dr. Frances Kinne about brain exercises. She did many things to keep her brain active, mainly due to her incredibly active schedule. It made me tired sometimes hearing about it. But, one seemingly small thing she did […]

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David is a proponent of taking varying routes to and from familiar places, while I often prefer taking “the long way home.”  Similar to the 1979 song by Supertramp, “The Long Way Home,” I often select the scenic route, instead of the faster, more direct, route when I am driving.  For example, I have lots […]

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Creative Bursts

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 22, 2020

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Work-Life

As I write this, I’ve already written 4 other posts this afternoon. That’s the way this process works for me. I don’t know how creative I am when writing these, but the point is they happen in bursts. I’ve found it takes finding the right frame of mind, and perhaps, some quiet time, to think […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 22, 2020

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Work-Life

Between the two of us, David is definitely more creative than I am.  As a photographer, he has an artistic side about which many of Magnus’ clients are unaware.  When David is in the “zone” on one of his photo safaris, it is a good idea not to bother him.  I am easily bored and, […]

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Clipped Wings

Due to recent world events, most people’s lives have changed in ways that would, previously, have been unimaginable. Although some of my retired friends and family members tell me that they stayed home, often alone, before the pandemic and thus, haven’t noticed many changes in their daily lives, the rest of us have noticed lots […]

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Melissa and I have posted much about travel for work or pleasure, including a list of places we’ve been (https://magnusinsights.com/2016/06/ive-been-everywhere/). And, we have generally enjoyed our travels.  Sure, it is tiring and stressful, but the rewards are many.  Our work requires travel to the trial venue so that our case assessments are conducted based on people […]

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Muster in an Emergency

After many, many years of doing trial consulting work all over the place, we have amassed our share of travel war stories. One detail that readers of our posts will have noted is that we try to learn from everything that happens in order to do better the next time and we try to train […]

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The concept of what it means to be a member of a team is lost on some people.  In today’s world of “it’s all about me, myself, and I” or, as George Harrison wrote, “I Me Mine,” some people are too busy thinking about maximizing their best interests to realize that other people are depending […]

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I’ve Got a Lot to Learn

I’ve got a lot to learn. In fact, I’ve got more things to learn than time remaining in my life to learn about them. I learn new things every day. The learning process, for me, never stops. In my occupation as a social psychologist, I routinely read about the new research in my area. I […]

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Thinking one knows everything about everything, or even everything about one thing, is usually a sign that the know it all person is badly mistaken.  There are always more things to learn and those at the top of their professions, or specialities, know that.  There are people who believe they know just enough to get […]

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Panic codes – “Buddy”

This is the 3rd and final post about panic at the mock jury research. Things happen. Bad things. Some are technical, some may involve the client, and some may involve the mock jurors. But, there are things about which some people would panic, which are better discussed outside the presence of the clients or mock […]

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As David mentioned, we at Magnus had the privilege to work with the late Buddy Payne first, as a client, and then, upon his retirement from the practice of law, as our very own advisor.  Although Buddy passed away many years ago, his spirit is still among us, from the beautiful ring he gave me […]

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Online Mock Jury Research

Magnus Research Consultants has entered the online age and now offers Verdict Perception Research™ among our other services. Verdict Perception Research™ involves recruiting jury eligible citizens from a trial venue who watch pre-recorded presentations (arguments) made by attorneys regarding a lawsuit, then deliberate until they reach a unanimous verdict. While there are many differences between […]

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For many years, we at Magnus resisted adding online mock jury research to our repertoire, mainly for the limitations Melissa noted in her part of this post.  But, necessity drove us to explore the technology options and there were many options!  That variation was another of our hesitations in that some of what passes for […]

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