This paper reports research that investigated how school leaders use micro-political strategies and tactics that promote the retention of high quality early career teachers. It draws on a conceptual framework of retention as an attraction-recruitment-retention triad and a micro-political theoretical framework. A qualitative study was conducted involving interviews with 16 new teachers and case studies of four school leadership teams. The findings show that school leaders were deliberate and conscious in their uses of power and influence. Their actions were less obvious to early career teachers. Additionally, the findings indicate the commitment of school leaders to recruit and retain preferred quality teachers to promote their goals and aims.