Business Consultant · Speaker · Author
Chris Odegard
Business Experience. Practical Principles. Real-World Results.
More than four decades of experience in business, negotiations, customer relationships, contracts, entrepreneurship, and leadership — including 33.5 years at Boeing.
Experience at a Glance
A career built in real business environments.
- 40+
- Years of Business Experience
- 33.5
- Years at Boeing
- 100+
- Commercial Airplane Transactions Negotiated
- $11B+
- In Airplane Transactions
- CONTRACTS DIRECTOR
- 15
- Business Experience Across 15 Countries
Consulting
Put Experience to Work
Chris helps companies and leaders work through difficult business situations involving negotiations, contracts, customers, suppliers, strategy, and complex commercial relationships.
His approach is practical: understand the issue, understand the people, prepare relentlessly, and find a solution that works in the real world.
Explore ConsultingSpeaking
Business Lessons From the Real World
Speaking Engagements
Chris speaks about the business principles he learned during more than four decades of working with customers, executives, negotiators, engineers, attorneys, suppliers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders around the world.
Topics can include negotiation, customer relationships, preparation, reputation, knowing your business, understanding competitors, and practical leadership.
Invite Chris to SpeakInterested in books for your attendees? Explore books for your event.
Podcasts & Media Interviews
Chris is available for podcast conversations and media interviews about trust in business, negotiation, customer relationships, and the ideas in his forthcoming book, Becoming the Person People Want to Do Business With.
Invite Chris for an InterviewForthcoming Book
Becoming the Person People Want to Do Business With
Earn Respect, Build Trust, Create Relationships
Drawing on more than forty years of business experience, including 33.5 years at Boeing, Chris shares the principles that helped him build trust, develop lasting relationships, and navigate complex negotiations.
The manuscript is complete and undergoing editing. Its 15 chapters are organized into five parts: Foundations, Character, Mastery, Relationships, and Trust.
Stories from his career connect the principles to real situations, making them tangible for readers to apply in their own business relationships—across industries, company sizes, and job titles.
Explore the Book and Purchase OptionsInside the Book
Part I — Foundations
- Know Your Product
- Know Your Customer
- Understand Your Competitors
- Know Your Stuff
Part II — Character
- Treat People Well
- Never Lie
Part III — Mastery
- Understand the Why of Your Terms
- Really Understand the Issue
- Understand How Your Company Works
- Use Your Team
Part IV — Relationships
- Nobody Leaves the Negotiating Table Feeling Bad
- Always Mix Business with Pleasure
- Business Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
- Reputation Is Everything
Part V — Trust
- The Contract Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling
Writing
Ideas, Observations & Lessons
Chris writes about business, customer service, negotiation, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, investing, and lessons drawn from decades of real-world experience.
Read Chris’s ArticlesAbout / Experience
Experience Built in the Real World
Chris began his Boeing career in 1985 and spent 33.5 years with the company, ultimately serving as a Director of Contracts.
During his career, he helped negotiate and execute more than 100 commercial airplane transactions valued at more than $11 billion.
His career took him throughout Asia, the South Pacific, North America, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
Early in his Boeing career, Chris helped lead an aircraft maintenance training program for the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
After Boeing, he became an investor, entrepreneur, business owner, author, podcast guest, and occasional speaker.
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Let’s Talk Business
Whether you need help with a difficult negotiation or commercial issue, or you’re looking for a speaker who brings decades of real-world business experience to the stage, let’s talk.