June's Workforce Wednesday discussion focused on how leadership impacts culture and retention in a job seeker's market. We heard from a panel of employers and subject matter experts who discussed how to make leadership your organization's secret weapon.

To kick off the discussion, Workforce Strategy Consultant James Whirlwind Soldier shared some statistics around leadership and retention. According to a study by Peregrine Global Services, 75% of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs, did so because of their bosses and not the position itself. With that statistic, we heard some great advice from our panel which you can read below.

Paula Chapulis, Founder of Aiyana Coaching

• Leadership needs to recognize the importance of mental health and wellness for their employees.
• People in leadership roles need to recognize their own mental health first, so they can help address their employees' mental health and wellness needs.

Jenn Aranda, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Civic Engagement at the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality

• Retention is not about just retaining your employees, it's also about recognizing and growing the talent you have within your company already.
• I've left jobs I've loved because I wasn't being recognized for my work and I wanted to work somewhere that would appreciate and utilize my talents.

Seanay Berghuis, Executive Leadership Coach and Director of Learning and Development for Lexington Manufacturing LLC

• As an employer, it's important to support your employees at every stage in their lives.
• We talk a lot about hiring, but it's just as important to work with your employees who are nearing retirement.
• The idea of retiring can be scary for workers, so we like to work with them through the process as much as we can, so they know what to expect and in return we have a plan so that we can transfer that knowledge from them onto incoming workers, so we don't lose those important skills.

Philomena Satre, Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Strategic Partnerships at Land o' Lakes

• It's the little moments that are so important when engaging with your employees.
• Getting to know your workers and asking questions about their lives and really listening to what they have to say makes all the difference.

View a recording of this session and other past sessions, find a full slate of downloadable resources mentioned during June's session, and access a schedule for upcoming Workforce Wednesday sessions on the Workforce Wednesday page on CareerForceMN.com.