Archive | Magnus Insights

Effort Justification

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 27, 2021

Category: Business Partnerships, Careers, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Social psychology is amazing (at least, in my opinion!) in its ability to explain things that would otherwise be hard to understand. Take the topic of effort justification as one example. Cognitive dissonance theory postulates that people do not like to have two attitudes or beliefs that conflict with one another. Cognitive dissonance leads to […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 27, 2021

I suppose the question is, does working harder than necessary, overcoming obstacles, or paying more, make something better? Does a meal taste better if you have to wait for a table? Does scarcity make something more desirable? Does engaging in a bidding war for something on eBay make one want the item more? Does going […]

Is your consultant a criminal?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 22, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

This is a strange topic: Is your consultant a criminal? In this context, it is related to your trial consultant. When one hires a new employee, most often, a variety of background checks are conducted. A lawyer’s criminal history is policed by Bar associations; similarly, other licensed professions are vetted. But, what about professions not […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 22, 2021

In the decades Magnus has been in business, we have found out many things about our employees, vendors, and prospective employees that, absent our checking into them, would have remained hidden. Often, these secrets were nothing serious, for example, the office administrator we hired, even though we knew she had been arrested for D.U.I. Then, […]

Output = Effort x Ability

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 20, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

Social psychologists, as well as other types of psychologists, have studied achievement motivation for many decades. In goal directed situations, there are several ways in which someone can achieve the desired outcome: ability, effort, and luck. Success and failure also depend, of course, on the difficulty of the task being undertaken. When considered together, these […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 20, 2021

I clearly remember that early employee to whom Melissa referred. How could I ever forget her? She tried so hard; she really gave it her all. But, often, that was not enough. This made it difficult to manage her without deflating her sense of self. Reacting to “I tried so hard,” by pointing out her […]

Exude Competence

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 15, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Many years ago, when I was working for another trial consultant, one of the clients spoke to my boss and told her that I “exuded competence.” The boss was happy to hear this and to tell me. I took it as a high compliment because it reinforced my goal of doing what I say I’m […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 15, 2021

David is right. We have to exude competence if we are to convince others that we possess the expertise necessary to perform a job. When I first became a trial consultant, way back in 1989, the person who trained me was a particularly tough task master. He greatly disliked my psychologist’s way of pensively contemplating […]

Leadership styles

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 13, 2021

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Many people wonder how leaders emerge. Some people endorse the view that certain people are “born leaders,” while others believe leadership is a skill that is acquired. Organizational psychologists have studied leaders, leadership, and leadership styles for decades to determine what traits separate effective leaders from leaders who lack effectiveness, the situations in which leadership […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 13, 2021

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I often learn new things in reading what Melissa has written. As someone whose graduate work was in the Organizational Behavior field (the business school version of I/O psychology), leadership is a familiar topic. But, considering her perspective on how leadership plays out in the jury decision making process is enlightening. Melissa is the expert […]

Work Life Balance

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 8, 2021

Category: Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Business Travel, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Partnerships, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Work-Life

The term “Work Life Balance” seems to have existed for a long time. In writing this post, I did a bit of quick research and found the concept was not well defined until the last 20 years. Researchers have identified 3 key balance components: time, involvement and satisfaction. When work or life (family) demands are […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 8, 2021

Due to the lasting impact of COVID-19 on our nation’s workplaces, the issue of work/life balance has taken on a new urgency. Although many corporations are requiring their employees to return to the office full time, and some workplaces, such as hospitals, never allowed remote working, other employers are struggling for ways to keep their […]

Price based decisions

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 1, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Melissa and I recently made a big purchase. A roof. It was not something I’ve shopped for willingly. The failure of the old roof after storms made it a necessity. It is a big purchase, bigger than anything we’ve ever bought, other than a house. Shopping for a roofing company was a reminder of how […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 1, 2021

When it became necessary to shop for a roofing contractor, I went about it in the same way I search for just about anything. I researched local roofing companies, asked people for referrals, and checked ratings from various sources. I eventually obtained 4 bids and 1 refusal to bid (due to the complexity and danger […]

Do You Still Need to Practice?

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 29, 2021

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Research, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

Recently, I remarked to my bass guitar teacher, Phill Fest, that many of my friends question my need to take bass lessons, due to the fact I have been playing the bass guitar for over 20 years. (This was the subject of a previous post, in which I mentioned that, although I have been playing […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 29, 2021

I took piano lessons as a child, but fishing seemed much more fun than piano, so I didn’t play piano long! But, call it what you want, practice, playing, fishing, getting better, and staying strong at anything takes time and effort. I’ve written about Dr. Fran Kinne before. She started playing piano at age 3 […]

Thou shalt not smoke

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 24, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Common Courtesy, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Just when you think you’ve experienced it all…well, then, something new happens. Magnus moved into our current office a few months ago. We were in the old one for over 24 years and the new one is definitely an improvement over the prior office, in most ways. The new office is in a 2 story, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 24, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Common Courtesy, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Magnus’ former office building offered few opportunities for interaction with the other occupants of the building, which is a small, 1 story structure with 4 individual office suites. Although the on site property manager smokes cigarettes, he is always polite enough to smoke outside. For the entire time Magnus has been in business, we never […]

The Destruction of Goodwill

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 22, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Negativity bias has a long history of research within social psychology. Negativity bias refers to the tendency of many people to assign greater importance to negative information than positive information. Considerable research has revealed that negative adjectives and descriptions contribute more to people’s overall impressions of others than positive adjectives and descriptions. It is important […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 22, 2021

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

Goodwill can be fleeting. I am thinking about some other recent interactions and encounters where it has disappeared quickly. A fast food restaurant which forgets to include the dipping sauces, or hands out sub standard (for them) food comes to mind. Another restaurant which has great Vietnamese food but frequently gets the take out order […]

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Archive | Magnus Insights

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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