Archive | Magnus

Do what you say you are going to do!

I have recently been reminded of how one simple courtesy makes a big difference. That courtesy is doing what you say. If you say you will do it, do it. If you have no intention of doing it, don’t promise. Two contrasting illustrations will make my point. First, to the positive, I was recently been […]

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People who make promises they fail to keep cause many problems for those who are relying on them. One of the worst things that happens in my many years of working as a trial consultant relates to recruiting research participants. The company Magnus hires to call potential research participants for our mock juries and focus […]

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Off the Grid

At the time of this writing, my office recently underwent (or, more accurately, suffered through) an email conversion. There was nothing wrong with the old email system, at least as far as I was concerned. My email was working just fine and, being the type of person who prefers to leave things alone, I agreed […]

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For the record, there were a number of reasons that the email system needed to be updated.  But, in general, as “rigged” as our old system had become, it was working and, like Melissa, I am always apprehensive about making changes.  I am not “afraid of change,” but will admit to being “afraid of chaos” […]

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Seed Planting

Way back in elementary school we probably all heard the story of Johnny Appleseed who went on a mission to introduce apples to various parts of the northern United States. Not only did I hear this story (which apparently is true, at least if you believe Wikipedia, however, the man’s name was Chapman, not Appleseed), […]

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David’s closing sentence, of course, reminds me of a song by the late, great Chuck Berry, “Johnny B. Goode.” The lyric, “Go go. Go Johnny, go, go” has incited many dance moves, not to mention air guitar playing, and serves as a great reminder of just how far one can go in life with a […]

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“I love you” daily

Don’t take things, or people, for granted. Someone we love may be here today but gone tomorrow and once someone is gone, there are no “do overs.” Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that go a long way. Saying “I love you” to one’s life partner, spouse, children, and close family and friends is […]

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My days when Melissa and I are together usually by start hearing her say “I love you” – largely because Melissa is more quickly alert in the morning than I am.  And, together or apart, now more than ever with our communication devices, communicating is easier than ever.  Thinking back over the years of our […]

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Counting Sheep

I saw a comic in the paper this past weekend that had images of sheep. One of the sheep was the “head sheep” and told the others to “count off” – as the sheep did so, staring with sheep 1 saying “1″ – the image showed that by sheep #5, #5 had fallen asleep counting […]

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I am not fond of sheep or, for that matter, goats. Counting sheep as a means of inducing sleep would probably not work for me because it would conjure memories of David’s and my ill fated trip to Ireland during the height of hoof and mouth disease. There were way too many stinky sheep, as […]

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Lunchy

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 15, 2017

Category: Business personalities, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Work-Life

I love lunch.  Lunch is my favorite meal of the day.  Breakfast often arrives much too early and has to be eaten hurriedly before work, an airplane flight, or another commitment.  Breakfast foods, in my view, are dreadfully boring, and often involve eggs (to which I am allergic) prepared in some form.  Dinner, although many […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 15, 2017

Category: Business personalities, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Work-Life

There are things one learns about a spouse, a partner (business or personal), and friends that may surprise us at first.  That my wife, with a Ph.D., liked “lunchy” was one of those surprising things for me.  Not that she likes lunch, but that she calls it “lunchy” – and preferably, for her, it should […]

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Gender Barriers

Recently an article appeared on the front page of the Sunday New York Times entitled “When Job Puts Sexes Together, Workers Cringe.” Great title – it called out for the story to be read. But, Melissa, who read it first, and I found the story shocking in terms of the data it reported. The data […]

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The article from the New York Times that is the subject of this post appeared on page 1 on Sunday, July 2, 2017. The title intrigued me with its implication regarding workers cringing when working with opposite sex co-workers. My first impression was that the article’s focus was on occupations that were traditionally male, such […]

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Not all weekends = fun

Weekends can occur on any day of the week. Depending on one’s work schedule, a weekend can be on Monday and Tuesday instead of Saturday and Sunday. Although I have had varying days off in my work life, since my time in academia, my weekends have been Saturdays and Sundays. Like most people who work, […]

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When Melissa and I first met, I worked as a freelance photographer.  Then, as today, I worked when there was work to be done.  I kept regular office hours Monday to Friday, unless on an assignment, but many of these assignments turned out to be on weekends.  Saturdays were often work days – family portraits, […]

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It doesn’t cost, it pays.

I was speaking with someone recently who was lamenting about how cost is a factor in decisions, sometimes, with a penny wise and dollar (pound) foolish approach. This person quickly related a story about when he was buying a piece of equipment for his office and asked what it cost. The astute salesperson said, “it […]

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There is a common maxim, “If you have to ask the cost, then you probably can’t afford it.” Some of Magnus’ clients are more cost conscious than others and, in fact, some of them are more concerned about cost than quality. When I am asked, usually by someone in the audience at one of my […]

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Get it right the 1st time

I am careful, meticulous, and detail oriented.  I like to consider all of the options before taking a particular course of action.  I dislike making mistakes, especially when there is a monetary cost involved in a mistake.  In effect, I like to “get it right the first time” instead of going full speed ahead, doing […]

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I have a memory from decades ago when I attending an open house at a trucking company with my father and seeing a sign that said “If you don’t have time to get it right the first time, when will you have time to get it right?”.  That stuck with me and, like Melissa, doing […]

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