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Chris Harris’ path from training elite warriors to speaking to top corporate leaders as a highly sought-after keynote speaker is far from ordinary. For 25 years, as a private contractor, he taught military and special forces for the U.S. and its global allies his system of close-quarters combat called Roku Jutsu. That experience shaped his approach, emphasizing resilience, adaptability and mental toughness, values he now shares with business audiences.
Today, Harris is a professional keynote speaker, executive coach and bestselling published author with a strong emphasis on mindset, self-motivation and resiliency. He uses his expertise in high-stakes decision making to help professionals strengthen their leadership effectiveness and sales performance. “The mental toughness required to survive in combat,” he explains, “is the same one that helps professionals excel under immense pressure and relentless adversity.” His signature “Warrior Maker” approach aims to build confidence and focus for audiences, preparing them to handle challenges with the right mindset by using the tools they already possess.
The secret to staying ahead
The executive coaching industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with companies increasingly investing in leadership development and sales performance coaching. Industry reports suggest the global executive coaching market will exceed $31 billion by 2033, illustrating the rising demand for mental resilience training.
Rather than offering traditional speaking and coaching, Harris focuses on tactical mental conditioning, teaching professionals how to self-motivate and maintain peak performance in high-stress situations. “Success is about how you respond and adapt when things don’t go your way and when the competition is fierce,” he explains. Over the years, Harris has worked with over 500 companies across 60 countries, helping leaders and sales teams develop and execute winning strategies in high-stakes environments.
His book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide for Self-Defense” was published by one of the largest publishers in the world. His “7 Rivals” book series reveals how to pinpoint and conquer the significant mental and emotional opponents that influence your confidence, drain your energy and attempt to block your success. Drawing on his extensive background in elite close-quarters combat training, Harris provides readers with practical strategies to enhance their fulfillment, preparedness and ability to handle challenging situations.
The power of inspired action
Apart from his dedication to speaking and consulting, Harris remains involved with respectable affiliations that are making a positive impact. The Cold War had a lasting impact on Harris’s childhood, motivating him toward numerous fulfilling endeavors: enlisting in the United States military, working in the defense sector as a private contractor and becoming an active member of Business Executives for National Security, an organization comprised of executive business leaders applying their experience and best practices to help strengthen our nation’s national security. Harris learned at an early age that fear and uncertainty offer their greatest value when they inspire people to take positive action.
Talented people can hit challenging targets, open-minded people can see hidden targets and inspired people will either find a way or make a way to achieve the desired outcome, Harris says. Through his engagement with BENS, he joins top industry leaders and entrepreneurs in closing the bridge between private and public sectors, fostering a stronger exchange of ideas and practical solutions with government partners to help address today’s security challenges with the innovation, insights and agility of the private sector.
Making a real difference
BENS members like Harris engage directly with senior military leaders and government officials on critical national security challenges. The organization has facilitated meaningful dialogue between industry leaders and national security experts, including four-star generals and admirals, renowned executives and thought leaders, and skilled tacticians, on topics ranging from regional conflicts in the Middle East and Europe to U.S. competitiveness in the era of Great Power Competition. In 2024 alone, BENS hosted over 160 events and roundtables nationwide, while also lending their expertise to global issues.
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BENS CEO and president Gen. Timothy Ray, USAF (ret.), has shared, “Our nation needs industry leaders to engage and partner with the national security community. Only by harnessing industry’s ingenuity and efficiency with the national security’s deep understanding of the threat landscape will our nation be able to navigate the unprecedentedly complex security environment we face.”
Through this collaborative approach, BENS continues to fulfill a core aspect of its mission: to unite the brightest minds from both sectors in service of the nation’s security. The organization maintains its longstanding record of audit opinions. It continues to earn a four-star rating from Charity Navigator as well as a Platinum rating from Candid, both the highest possible scores from these independent nonprofit evaluators.
Tough times may need tougher leaders
With an expanding global presence, Harris continues to solidify his reputation as a keynote speaker, published author and high-performance executive coach. His expertise has been featured in major global media publications, and he conducts frequent interviews as a thought leader in the field of mindset and resiliency. Harris is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and has received notable recognition over the past 25 years.
Leaders today are not only expected to be flexible and able to handle pressure effectively, but also to be adaptable and resilient in the face of change, Harris says. As a U.S. military veteran, award-winning inventor, former top-sales producer, BENS member and Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee, Harris’s methods may resonate with organizations that seek a warrior’s mindset-based approach rather than conventional leadership methodologies.