Mark Hendrickson serves as the County Executive Officer for Merced County, leading a high-performing organization focused on delivering results and exceptional service to the community. He works closely with the Board of Supervisors to turn their vision into action, with an emphasis on accountability, innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement. 

A longtime Merced County leader, Hendrickson has served in several key roles, including Assistant County Executive Officer, Director of Community and Economic Development, and Director of Governmental Affairs. He also brings private-sector experience in leading government relations for a major energy utility.

What if the energy from your best offsite didn't fade by Monday?

Most of us have been there. The ideas are flowing, everyone is energized, and then the inbox wins.

This week I'm talking with Mark Hendrickson, County Executive Officer of Merced County. Mark leads more than 2,200 public servants across about 20 lines of business, from public health to public safety. I had the privilege of working with his executive team and department heads on Working Genius, and in this conversation Mark shares what they did next.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT:

• What service means to Mark. Doing what you say you'll do, following up when you say you will, and helping people move through complicated processes in the simplest way possible. For Mark, the community is the boss.
• The custodian story. A late-day conversation in Mark's office, and why he believes there is no such thing as "just" a custodian, or "just" anything, in his organization.
• Building the widget team. Mark walks through how his team started with one real question about employee healthcare benefits and chose department heads across the county with all six kinds of working genius in mind.
• Bringing everyone along. The widget team presented to the full department head group, gathered feedback, and is preparing to share with policymakers.
• Why different thinkers matter. Mark explains why he doesn't want to be the smartest person in the room, and how a culture that welcomes ideas lets them bubble up from anywhere.
• Scaling. Vision, expectations, attitude, and accountability, and what Mark means when he says accountability isn't about beating someone over the head for a mistake.
• Sustainability. Why Mark sees it as a byproduct of people seeing that their work matters, and how he guards against the "poof, it's gone" problem.
• Five to ten years out. A county people want to join, and a next wave of leaders prepared for greater opportunity.
• Lightning round. What Mark is reading, how he recharges, the one word he hopes his closest colleagues would use, and his one high-impact leadership strategy.
• The six kinds of working genius (WIDGET)
  
  • Wonder: pondering the possibilities and asking whether there's a better way.
  • Invention: coming up with original ideas.
  • Discernment: evaluating ideas with good instinct.
  • Galvanizing: rallying people to get moving.
  • Enablement: providing the support others need.
  • Tenacity: pushing the work across the finish line.
    

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Think of one idea you've been sitting on. Write down the real question it would answer, then choose two or three people who think differently than you do to look at it with you. Put a date on the first conversation.

Here's why it helps. Mark's team didn't wait for a perfect plan. They started with a real question and a small cross-functional group, and the learning came from doing the work. A question, a few different thinkers, and a start date give an idea something to stand on.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Drownproof: Eight Life Lessons to Keep Your Head Above Water by Andy Stumpf
• Cleared Hot, the podcast hosted by Andy Stumpf
• The Working Genius
• Previous Working Genius episodes: 
  • Episode 3 - Fostering Engagement at Work through Creating a Culture of Recognition
  • Episode 12 - Leverage Your Strengths
  • Episode 25 - Change Agility
  • Episode 31 - Strengths: The Hidden Key to Extraordinary Performance
  • Episode 71 - Stop Solving. Start Wondering with Heather Italiano  

Ready to go deeper? If you want to build real clarity, trust, and cohesion into how your team operates, reach out for a free team diagnostic. Schedule a Consultation.

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Until next time, lead the way!