About Us

Michael Wilkinson, CMF™

Portrait of Michael Wilkinson, a professional facilitator wearing business attire and exemplifying expertise and leadership.

“He is hands down the most talented and effective facilitator with whom I have ever worked.”

Brian A. Gallagher
President and CEO, United Way Worldwide

Engaging, Dynamic, Impactful

Michael Wilkinson is a Certified Master Facilitator™ and the Founder of Leadership Strategies, Inc. His unique talent, skills, and passion for facilitation form the core of the company’s mission and are the reasons he is sought after as a facilitator, trainer, and speaker. Michael is the author of the best-seller The Secrets of Facilitation, The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy, CLICK: The Virtual Meetings Book, Buying Styles, and The 8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders. Michael is one of the nation’s leaders in the facilitation industry. He is a founding board member of the International Institute for Facilitation and founder of The Facilitator Database.

He has been awarded both the Certified Professional Facilitator™ and the Certified Master Facilitator™ designations for experience and demonstrated expertise in facilitation. In 2003 he was named Facilitator of the Year by the Southeast Association of Facilitators for contributions to the field.

Active in both the private and public sectors, he has provided leadership training and strategy development assistance to such diverse organizations as The Coca-Cola Company, Unisys, EPA, CDC, KPMG Peat Marwick, and the American Cancer Society. He has facilitated more than 200 strategy sessions for major corporations, large government agencies, and a variety of non-profit organizations.

Michael’s results-producing techniques and energetic style drive the pulse of the company and have won him clients from a wide range of public and private sector organizations, including The Coca-Cola Company, Sears, Unisys, KPMG Peat Marwick, the Government of Jamaica, the City of Atlanta, the United Church of God, The American Cancer Society, United Way Worldwide, and Centers for Disease Control. His work extends beyond domestic boundaries to include International assignments in Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Milan, the Netherlands, Oxford, Saint Petersburg, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sydney, Vienna, Warsaw, and Wellington.

Prior to Leadership Strategies, Michael spent eight years with the Information Technology Division of Ernst & Young’s Management Consulting Group. He is a high honors graduate from Dartmouth and resides in Atlanta.

Accomplishments:

  • Founding Board Member of the International Institute for Facilitation
  • Founder of the FindaFacilitator database, with over 600 facilitators under contract
  • Founder and Global Project Leader for the IAF Facilitation Impact Awards, 2013-2016
  • Author of six books: The Secrets of Facilitation, The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, The Eight Core Practices of a Facilitative Leader, The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy, Buying Styles, and CLICK: The Virtual Meetings Book
  • Inducted into the International Facilitation Hall of Fame in 2016

Sample of Experience:

  • Facilitated the strategic planning process for the government of Jamaica which included over 120 industry ministers, private sector representatives, NGO officials, and community leads.
  • Facilitated over 100 players, including architects, designers, landscapers, and electricians, who were involved in the $2.5 billion development of a new hospital complex, through a two-day partnering session to gain agreement on a set of goals, success measures, and operating standards.
  • Led the culture integration and values development for the merger of two of the largest construction companies in Australia and the UK.
  • Led the strategic planning process for a corporation with nine diverse business units to identify strategic opportunities for investment and critical internal barriers to success.
  • Served as the master facilitator for a large urban city developing a 25-year strategic vision involving ten teams of 60-100 people, each focused on a key success area (e.g., housing, transportation, public safety). meeting monthly for 12 months.