In order to weather the storm of the Great Resignation and the continuing workforce shortages in healthcare, leaders must combat vacancies by putting people and talent first.  Successful healthcare organizations create a healthy work environment where staff members feel valued, supported and encouraged to grow. Tactics will be discussed on leadership development and innovative operational strategies that provide organizations with important tactics to drive performance improvement, decrease turnover, improve retention and workforce effectiveness, ultimately increasing the quality of care provided. The importance of these strategies as well as workforce optimization that align staffing levels, skills, and volumes as well as best practices to confront these challenges will be explored.