Overview
Chris Widener is an American author and motivational speaker focused on influence, leadership, and sales impact. Official materials brand him as an influence-and-impact strategist who helps leaders and salespeople earn trust, respect, admiration, and loyalty. He is a member of the Motivational Speakers Hall of Fame and has been named among Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers.
SUCCESS readers who like classic platform speaking—stories, leadership lessons, and practical influence—will place Widener in the Jim Rohn–adjacent tradition (he co-authored Twelve Pillars with Rohn).
Why SUCCESS readers care
Widener’s teaching targets the soft power behind hard results: how leaders and sellers create followership. Corporate event testimonials on his site emphasize connection, humor, and usable leadership lessons for sales fields and recognition events.
Career path
He entered public speaking in 1988 and founded American Community Business Network (later Made for Success) in the early 1990s. He co-authored Twelve Pillars with Jim Rohn (2005), sold Made for Success to a business partner (2009), hosted programs for The Success Training Network, and briefly ran a 2010 U.S. Senate campaign in Washington State that ended before the primaries. Wikipedia lists his birthdate as 18 April 1966.
What he teaches
- Influence and impact for leaders and sales professionals
- Trust, loyalty, and admiration as leadership currency
- Story-driven motivational speaking for corporate audiences
- Business and personal-development themes across his books
Who it's for
- Sales leaders and corporate event planners
- SUCCESS readers who prefer classic motivational platform craft
- Teams needing influence skills beyond product knowledge
- Aspiring speakers studying Hall of Fame-level delivery
Frequently asked
Soft motivation or tactics?
Expect influence principles and leadership storytelling; review current programs on chriswidener.com for formats.
Jim Rohn connection?
Yes—co-author of Twelve Pillars; Rohn publicly endorsed Widener as part of the next generation of leadership teachers.
Politics?
He ran a short-lived 2010 Senate campaign in Washington; his current public brand is speaking/author work.