Steve Wilke

Steve Wilke
Born	February 21, 1962
Occupation	Author
Nationality	American
Subject	Leadership, Psychology
Notable works	The Leading Edge (2010) Corporate Family Matters (2010)
Website
www.drstevewilke.com

Steve Wilke (born 21 February 1962) is an author and speaker specializing in leadership consulting and professional counseling, and is the Principal of the management consulting firm LEADon, Inc.^[1] His published work includes The Leading Edge and Corporate Family Matters, in which he and his co-author, wife Rebecca Wilke, he use his background in Clinical Psychology to prescribe a model of principles that, according to Wilke, lead to increased company performance through an intentional work culture and relationships.^[2]

The Wilkes have served as media consultants on radio and television. They hosted their own radio talk show, The Counseling Connection.^[3] In 2001, Steve Wilke appeared on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect along with Ray Romano, Dyan Cannon, and Tara Reid.^[4]

During his doctoral work, he became interested in the work of Dr. James Framo who is known for being a notable early pioneer of family therapy.^[5] Wilke was particularly interested in Framo’s research of Family Systems. While obtaining his doctorate in psychology, he assisted Dr. Framo in many couple’s therapy sessions. From those experiences, Wilke wrote about implementing Family Systems principles into the corporate world.^[6]

Author

Wilke has co-authored five books with his wife Rebecca, including The Leading Edge and Corporate Family Matters, their two highest selling books. The couple has also co-authored Dealing With Depression, Answers to Anxiety, Straight Lines for Parents, and the couple co-authored The Sacred Search: Couple’s Conversation Guide with Gary Thomas.^[7][8][9]

The Leading Edge

In The Leading Edge: Strategies for Improving Internal and Intentional Leadership, the Wilkes share the skill sets that they contend leaders must strive to implement in their professional lives. The couple's contention is that schools teach the specific vocational skills needed for various businesses, but miss the most fundamental skills that all businesses need—i.e., relationship management and people skills. They argue that people in business, for the majority of the time, rely on people skills and teamwork, and that only a fraction of the time in business do they actually use their vocational skill sets.^[10]

Corporate Family Matters

The Wilkes' main objective in Corporate Family Matters: Creating and Developing Organizational Dynasties is to show how a corporation models a family system. As someone who studied extensively under Dr. Framo and his work with Family Systems, Steve Wilke, along with his wife and co-author Rebecca, offer an explanation for how corporations are very much like large families and therefore must be treated as such so that “familial dysfunctionality” doesn’t develop. Their thesis is that, because corporations spend the majority of their time talking and dealing with one another in a familial way, their success is in part due to managing relationships rather than just business aspects. This book represents the counselor's perspective into making the corporate world more efficient through relationship management.^[11]

References