Pocket Sized Pep Talks

Targeting Turnover: How to Retain Your Best Talent

Episode Summary

The labor pool in the U.S. is tightening faster than most leaders realize. With baby boomers retiring and birthrates dropping, 2025 marks the first year we add barely a fraction of the workers we once did—and the ripple effects will hit every industry. Author Dick Finnegan sits down with Rob to discuss why the real competitive edge isn’t in scrambling to recruit, but in learning how to retain the people you already count on. Together, they dig into the mindset and strategies that keep top talent engaged, committed, and off the job market.

Episode Notes

In this Pocket Sized Pep Talk, you'll learn:

• Why employees often leave managers—not companies—and how that plays out in today’s workplace.
• How organizations can train managers to build trust and retain employees more effectively.
• Whether AI and automation will relieve or intensify the labor shortage.
• What most leaders underestimate about a shrinking workforce and the long-term impact of demographic shifts.
• Why perks and pay raises don’t fix turnover without trust between employees and supervisors.
• The warning signs that managers think they have trust—but don’t.
• The single most important message Dick would share with a CEO about reducing turnover.
• A real-world example of a company that cut turnover by changing the way leaders lead.
• Why there’s still reason for optimism, even with a declining labor pool.

To learn more about this guest:

Dick Finnegan LinkedIn