New Book The Empty Chair Examines Hidden Leadership Behaviors Shaping Culture, Burnout and Organizational Performance

Inspired Culture founder Eric Himes explores leadership behavior, employee engagement and a new approach to building stronger cultures and performance.

NAPERVILLE, IL, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As organizations address employee burnout, retention, engagement and leadership development, a new book is asking executives to examine an often overlooked influence on organizational performance: their own behavior.

The Empty Chair, a new leadership book by Eric Himes, founder and president of The Inspired Culture, explores the hidden behaviors, habits and leadership blind spots that can influence workplace culture, employee engagement, relationships and organizational performance.

The book is now available on Amazon.

At the center of The Empty Chair is a question Himes believes executives, business owners, HR professionals and emerging leaders should consider: How do we continue succeeding without losing ourselves, our people and the things that matter most along the way?

The book draws from Himes’ experience in executive coaching, leadership development, organizational culture and strategic advising. It examines the gap that can exist between a leader’s intentions and the impact of his or her behavior.

“Most leaders genuinely want to do the right thing for their people,” Himes said. “The challenge is that we cannot change what we cannot see. Greater awareness of our behaviors and their impact gives us an opportunity to lead differently.”
One of the central concepts explored in The Empty Chair is behavior visibility.

Organizations have become increasingly sophisticated at measuring revenue, sales, productivity, operations and financial performance. Leadership behavior, employee well-being and human growth can be more difficult to see and measure consistently.

The Inspired Culture works with organizations to create greater visibility around leadership behavior, growth mindset, employee burnout, strategic alignment, organizational culture and individual development. Its approach is based on the belief that workplace culture, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness and organizational performance are closely connected.

The concepts explored in The Empty Chair have also been shaped through Himes’ work with organizations and leadership teams.

In one multi-location client engagement, employee turnover declined from approximately 24 percent to 13 percent, representing a reduction of roughly 46 percent. The organization also recorded approximately 88 percent weekly completion of leadership and growth habits. During the broader period of the engagement, the company experienced approximately $4 million in revenue growth.

“We have dashboards for almost every important part of a business,” Himes said. “We measure revenue, sales, operations and financial performance. We should also become better at understanding the leadership behaviors, alignment, growth and well-being of the people responsible for producing those results.”

That philosophy extends into Inspired OS, a developing leadership and organizational growth platform designed to provide more consistent visibility into leadership development, growth mindset, burnout, strategic alignment, habits, goals and organizational progress.

The Inspired Culture has also developed the 50 Masks of Leadership, a behavioral leadership assessment designed to help individuals identify hidden behaviors that may influence communication, trust, accountability, decision-making and the way others experience their leadership.

Together, The Empty Chair, 50 Masks of Leadership, Inspired OS, executive coaching and The Inspired Culture’s organizational programs support a broader mission to help build cultures where people and performance grow together.

“Success should not require people to sacrifice themselves, their relationships or their health in order to achieve it,” Himes said. “We believe organizations can perform at a high level while developing stronger, healthier and more self-aware people.”

The conversation will continue at the Inspired Culture Summit, scheduled for November 16 and 17, 2026, in Naperville, Illinois. Built around the theme “Where Leadership Creates Legacy,” the Summit will bring together CEOs, authors, leadership experts and practitioners to explore leadership development, well-being, relationships, purpose, influence and legacy.

About Eric Himes and The Inspired Culture
Eric Himes is the founder and president of The Inspired Culture, author of The Empty Chair, executive coach and host of The Inspired Culture television program. He has been recognized by Real Leaders as a Top 80 Executive Coach and Top Impact Speaker and through Thought Leaders 100.

The Inspired Culture is a strategic advising, executive coaching and leadership development organization focused on helping organizations create cultures where people and performance grow together. Its work includes leadership development, behavior visibility, workplace culture, employee engagement, growth mindset, burnout awareness, strategic alignment and organizational performance.

The organization’s mission is to help people win on all fronts, professionally, personally and relationally.

Eric Himes
The Inspired Culture
630-770-2626
erichimes24@yourpathinspired.com
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