Episode 75 – How Joel Dobbs followed a path he loved, avoided a mid-life crisis, and based his retirement on mentoring.

Description:

In this episode, Marc interviews Dr. Joel Dobbs. Dr. Dobbs is an experienced life sciences executive, with over thirty years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has served in a variety of senior leadership roles in information technology, as well as general management, clinical research, regulatory affairs, post-marketing surveillance, academia, and consulting. Dr. Dobbs has served as a member of top-tier executive teams of dynamic organizations, in startup, rapid-growth, turn-around, merger, integration, and change phases.

He currently serves as the Executive-in-Residence at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s Collat School of Business, where he also directs the school’s office of innovation and entrepreneurship, teaches, and works with entrepreneurs within the UAB environment and the greater Birmingham business community to help them develop and grow their business. He is also the CEO of the Compass Talent Management Group, LLC, a consulting firm that assists organizations with the identification and development of key talent with designing organization strategies and structures to maximize their ability to compete in the business world of today and tomorrow. Marc and Joel discuss several topics, including Joel’s intentionally varied first half of his life, some of the triggers that started his pursuit of goals for the second half of his life, and how giving back through mentoring, from his extensive experience, is so gratifying.

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio |Google Play

Key Takeaways:

[:54] Marc welcomes you to episode 75 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. 75 episodes make a year-and-a-half. Marc invites you to share this episode with like-minded souls. Please subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast, share it on social media, and tell your neighbors and colleagues.
[1:39] Next week, Marc will team up with Mark Anthony Dyson of The Voice of Jobseekers podcast for a Q&A episode to answer some listener questions.

[1:52] This week’s episode is from the archives. It is an encore interview of Dr. Joel Dobbs. Dr. Dobbs was Marc’s first interview with a person who had made a career pivot in the second half of life. It was one of the best stories because Dr. Dobbs planned out his transition. Marc hopes you enjoy this episode!
[2:15] Marc welcomes Dr. Joel Dobbs.

[2:40] Joel majored in Chemistry, went to pharmacy school, and got a doctorate. He followed a purposefully varied career path, in three phases, until he retired five years ago. He was with GlaxoSmithKline when it was just Glaxo. In his time there it went from a startup to $3.5 billion a year. He helped the various business units develop.
[6:34] Another company recruited him and he spent the last 15 years of his career as a CIO — a completely unplanned path — until he retired five years ago. That was the first half of his career. Marc calls this a portfolio career or “a lot of different stuff.”
[7:44] Today Joel is a business school professor at UAB Collat School of Business. He also runs a leadership consulting business, teaching from the multitude of mistakes he has made over the first half of his life. He finds it tremendously gratifying.
[9:16] In his late 40s, Joel started considering his life’s impact. Around 50, he read Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob Buford, and it set his path.
[11:11] The halftime of your life is a period to ask: how do I turn the second half of my life into one that leverages my success, but focuses on significance?
[11:42] Joel began really thinking about what did he want to do next? Was his ladder of success leaning against the wrong building?
[13:52] Joel was very interested in his company’s offer of a voluntary retirement when they extended it to executives. He talks about consulting work he did, and other companies that recruited him. He wrote the job description for one of them. He also attended The Halftime Institute, which changed his view of life.
[16:00] Joel put together in a notebook his plan for the second half of his life. He looked for opportunities to test concepts about working.
[21:16] Marc comments on how Joel drove his career agenda. He knew when to move on and he left, always with the goal in mind.
[22:03] If you know what you want to do, and you’re able to answer that clearly, concisely, and decisively, you’d be surprised how often you get to do that.
[22:19] Spend time thinking about the perfect life and writing it down. That very act sensitizes you to opportunity.
[22:54] When Joel checked his ‘perfect life’ list after years, how much had he achieved?
[24:45] Intentional achievement takes clarity. Usually, clarity does not come overnight.
[26:50] Marc’s final thoughts: Dr. Dobbs was very purposeful in planning out his second half of life.
[28:11] Marc invites you to check back next week when Mark Anthony Dyson and Marc answer listener questions.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Mark Anthony Dyson

The Voice of Jobseekers

GlaxoSmithKline

Stevens Institute of Technology

UAB Collat School of Business.

The Halftime Institute

Joel H. Dobbs

Joel.Dobbs@iCloud.com

Personal Branding for Baby Boomers: What It Is, How to Manage It, and Why It’s No Longer Optional, by Marc Miller.

Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob Buford

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is alive and in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has three initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life and they are guiding him on what to build. He is looking for individuals for the fourth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, and a community where you can seek help.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-75 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

Episode 74 – Marc reviews the experiences of the last month living in Mexico.

Description:

In this episode, Marc narrates the challenges of relocating abroad and securing the resources for safe and healthy living for his family while running his business full-time.

Key Takeaways:

[:49] Marc welcomes you to episode 74 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this episode with like-minded souls. Please subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast, share it on social media, and tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[1:23] Next week, Marc goes to the archives for an encore interview of Dr. Joel Dobbs. Dr. Dobbs was Marc’s first interview with a person who had made a career pivot in the second half of life. It was one of the best stories because Dr. Dobbs planned out his transition. With so many new listeners, 99% of the audience will not have heard it.

[1:58] This week, Marc discusses issues of being an introvert and how they relate to his current experiences in Mexico. A lot of Marc’s experiences in Mexico directly relate to challenges we all face in managing our careers in the second half of life. Marc is recording in Mexico a few days before returning from his month-long exploration.

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio |Google Play

[2:26] Marc and his wife arrived in Ajijic, Mexico on March 14. They had arranged to rent a one-bedroom garage apartment for about $825 for four weeks. The apartment was small but adequate and the technology was fine. They are four blocks from the main square and a block-and-a-half from the lake. Gustavo, their host, has been wonderful.

[3:21] The apartment was right next door to Gustavo’s mother’s house, where his sister takes care of their elderly mother. It’s a great way to experience Mexico. Marc wanted to explore what it was like to live in Mexico, not vacation there.

[4:05] They started their investigation to find necessary resources, including chiropractors, a dentist, a barber, an endocrinologist, and health insurance. Marc lists the resources they found. They fulfilled everything on their list except for securing healthcare. The agent they found never followed up with them. They still have options.

[6:37] When the Millers arrived on a Wednesday morning, the first thing they did was go to the Wednesday farmers’ market. The market was large and a few blocks from their apartment. They also found two other markets close at hand. It took a few days to find all the stores they wanted and their favorite restaurants.

[8:09] It is easy to eat healthy in Mexico with plentiful and inexpensive fruits and vegetables.

[8:57] It took about a week to get settled in. That first week Marc didn’t want to search. He was learning Spanish. His introversion started to kick in. Too much talking to people wears on Marc, especially to non-English speakers. He found it easier to speak face-to-face though, instead of on the phone.

[10:19] Marc explains how he will use technology in Mexico. On his first trip, he found the DSL connection wasn’t very good. This time the socket where his DSL modem was plugged in lost electricity, but when he plugged into another socket it was good. There are fewer available sockets on walls.

[12:27] Electricity in Ajijic is not as reliable as most in the U.S. expect it to be. Marc talks about his international AT&T mobile phone plan, and the reliability of service. In the first couple of weeks his calls dropped but in the next couple of weeks, they stayed connected.

[12:58] Voice and data quality are good. Marc’s next destination may not have the same service, with 3G service.

[13:28] Marc tells about how a Church had generators on hand for their Passion Play, and the electricity went out less than an hour before the program.

[14:57] It took Marc about 10 days to settle in while continuing to run his business. Then they started exploring. They walked about eight miles a day. They rented a car from a local agency for two weeks, but they didn’t use it that much. After two weeks Marc hadn’t found his resources yet.

[16:50] Eventually, under pressure of time, Marc stopped putting it off and started making contacts.

[17:24] In the first two weeks Marc and his wife hit all the open air markets.Marc describes the markets and what they sell. Some cater to locals, and some to “gringos.” They rode bikes to the farther market. Marc, being 6’4”, didn’t find the right-sized bike. Transportation is inexpensive. A lot of expats do without a car and prefer to walk.

[20:13] After two weeks, Marc was still procrastinating. He decided not to call people but to go down to their offices to visit them. He visited a dentist, clinics, chiropractors, and started getting traction on getting things done.

[21:27] There are restaurants that support the expat community and there are restaurants for the local community, as well as the street vendors. Do not eat raw fruit, but bring it home and soak it in an iodine bath for about 15 minutes before eating it. It takes a while for your body to get used to the local bacteria.

[23:27] Marc said once he got started his research, he made real progress. After three weeks he started thinking about home.

[24:40] Marc and his wife are starting to plan their next trip, to stay for three months. They will drive from Austin on a three-day journey. They have hired a driver to take them from Laredo to Ajijic. They will take their cats with them and rent a one-bedroom house for about $600 a month, out of town.

[25:22] Marc says he got a lot of advice from others to hire a driver who knows the area. It costs about $500 for the driver. Their driver supports the expat community with this service.

[26:38] Marc has found a rhythm to running his business from Mexico. He is able to set boundaries on himself to prevent himself from working too much. Mexico is gorgeous; the people are great and family-oriented and friendly.

[27:45] Sounds in Ajijic are so different. Windows stay open day and night. There is no road noise at night, just dead silence. There is no heating or air conditioning. Marc wakes up to birds singing and the sounds of horses on the cobblestone streets.

[29:12] Marc went to the Chapala marketplace just to experience the sounds and the smells. It is very different from Austin.

[29:33] If you have any questions about Marc’s experiences, please make a comment on the Show Notes. Maybe Marc will write a book about it.

[29:51] You cannot just bring a car into Mexico. You need a temporary import permit. You can only bring a car manufactured in a NAFTA country. You have to take it back out. You need Mexico car insurance while there.

[30:38] Bringing the cats is part of the experimentation. There are lots of pet stores that cater to expats.

[30:59] Marc hopes you enjoyed this. He took his anxieties about being an introvert and worked around them.

[32:38] Check back next week for Marc’s interview with Joel Dobbs.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Facebook

Chapala.com webboard

Pablo’s Grocery store in Ajijic

AT&T mobile phone service

San Antonio Tlayacapa Jalisco Mexico

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon. The book is selling 150 to 200 copies a month, so thank you to readers!

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is alive and in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has three initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life and they are guiding him on what to build. He is looking for individuals for the fourth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, and a community where you can seek help.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-74 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

Marc Miller  

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