Archive | Magnus Insights

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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Serendipities

Once in a blue moon, things work out better than I had ever hoped they would. I will refer to these events as serendipities. My dear sister-in-law, Jeanette, and I were recipients of a serendipitous surprise last year when we were celebrating her birthday at a lovely beachfront restaurant. In the middle of our fantastic […]

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I’ve been reading a series of books by Michael Reisig, titled Road to Key West.  They are “light reading” about treasure hunting, set in the Florida Keys and in Central and South America; nothing heavy, just fun.  Anyway, there is a recurring line in the books “Sometimes the Gods, they get bored and they throw […]

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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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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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Don’t panic. Fix it!

This post builds on the last post about not letting them (the client) see you panic. Don’t panic – just fix it – is a worthwhile mantra in the workplace, and in life. Panic and fear get in the way of fixing things. I was a Boy Scout long enough to learn about the need […]

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David and I share the same philosophy: Don’t panic – just fix it!  I will never, ever, forget the time when one of our long ago employees broke the toilet seat, and instead of admitting what she had done, panicked and remained silent.  Guess who was the next person to use the restroom and attempt […]

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The Bat-tles

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 29, 2020

Category: Entrepreneurship, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Travel

David and I recently read an article in the Miami Herald about a wildlife sanctuary called Patch of Heaven. The Patch of Heaven sanctuary is located near the Redlands area, south of Miami. It’s a nonprofit organization that is committed to the preservation of old growth tropical hammocks and various forms of wildlife that reside […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 29, 2020

Category: Entrepreneurship, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Travel

I’m not sure why Melissa likes bats, but she does.  I guess I find them intriguing, but a bit scary.  We sometimes see them flying around the golf course behind our house and are thankful they are on the job eating mosquitos.  But, seeing them en masse is pretty amazing.  I’m thinking of when they […]

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Don’t let them see you panic

We keep a list of topics for these posts; this one was added to the list several years ago and I’m just getting around to writing about it. I preface the post with that because the incident(s) which inspired it were even longer ago and happened with former, not current, team members. The incidents usually […]

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Over the years I have been working as a trial consultant, I have had many reasons to panic.  I have also had many opportunities to observe my staff members panic.  There are numerous things that can, and do, go wrong, including things over which we have no control and things that occur from mistakes, carelessness, […]

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Dim Sum

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 22, 2020

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, RoadWarrior, Travel

First of all, I hope everyone who reads these posts has experienced the delightful meal known as dim sum! But, in the event the reader is unfamiliar with it, dim sum is often referred to as Hong Kong style brunch (although some restaurants serve it during evening hours). It involves small portions of delectable dumplings, […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 22, 2020

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, RoadWarrior, Travel

I was introduced to dim sum by some Aussies in 1985.  A group of them took me to their favorite spot in Sydney’s Chinatown.  I think it was on George Street, but though Melissa and I found it on one of our trips to Sydney, I fear it is no longer there.  It was an […]

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