I've seen a few secular 12 steps along the way. When I started in AA, I felt kind of obligated to adopt something from the program, but I'm not a believer, so I just rewrote the steps by removing the higher power or any reference to anything supernatural from each step. This was before I ever heard of any secular variations. It just seemed like common sense to write them in a way that was relatable for me.
If you ignore Wilson's need to attribute sobriety or personal growth to something outside yourself, you can make a case that each step has some fundamental value that can improve your life, although sometimes it's a stretch, but the steps reduced to the nitty gritty are pretty basic, and I see the steps as mostly a primer for a beginner. Society is complicated with combinations of interpersonal relationships that are infinite and infinitely complex. You are not going to sort that all out with 12 steps, or even 42 steps, but it's a start, and many alcoholics may need a place to start if they have little to bring to the process of recovery on their own. But I believe many of us come to recovery with many useful life skills already in place.
Granted that when you start coming out of the alcoholic fog, you realize there's a lot of tweaking to do and new things to incorporate into your skill set. Alcoholics are addicted people. This does not make us shallow or dumb. Although, I have to admit a slobbering drunk doesn't appear to have many useful skills to work with, but when you sober one up, you will often be surprised.