Danny Thompson
Capability Manager (Leadership Learning & Development)
BAE Systems
The Challenge: Finding Development That Actually Transforms
Danny Thompson has built a successful career designing and delivering leadership development programmes across BAE Systems. With decades of experience assessing training initiatives and rolling them out across multiple lines of business, he knows what works—and what doesn’t.
“I’ve been on lots of courses and programmes over the years,” Danny reflects. “You get to a point where you think ‘here we go again.’ I’ve seen everything from profiling to coaching and more. When his boss couldn’t attend the Client Centred programme and offered Danny the place instead, he went in with no idea what to expect. “Little did I know the impact it would have. It was lifechanging.” For someone whose job involves evaluating and building development programmes, this wasn’t a statement made lightly.
The Programme Experience: Beyond Expectations
Danny’s response at the end of the five-day programme was unequivocal: “I was lost for words. In disbelief. I’ve never been on a programme that’s had such an impact on me.”
The intensity of the experience surprised him. “I was positively exhausted. It was hard but powerful and 100% worth the investment.”
What made it different from the countless programmes he’d assessed and attended? “The difference is it’s deeply reflective. Bill and the facilitators create an environment where you can be honest with yourself.”
Being part of an open programme with participants from various organisations proved invaluable. “There were lots of different organisations represented, which gave you different perspectives. That diversity of experience really opened things up.”
“I never thought a programme would be so impactful and change me.”
Day Three: The Turning Point
Danny describes day three as pivotal—but not in the way he expected. “After showing some openness and vulnerability on day one, I was being asked questions that began to tap into something way deeper than I anticipated. By day three I was cooked—emotionally spent and mind blown.”
He found himself questioning everything. “I thought to myself, ‘Is this programme seriously doing this to me?’ But something remarkable was happening. “The connection, the will to succeed, develop further and become better people by the end of the programme was incredible.”
“My whole perspective on how I view myself has been challenged and I’ve started to grow, I got the chance to learn and practice new skills and they work for me and its showing up in my conversations, relationships and results.”
Immediate Application: A New Approach to Leadership Development
The programme’s timing proved fortuitous. Danny was new in his role in Head Office Manufacturing, working with new people across multiple lines of business. “I was quite fortunate from a client centred timing perspective—I could set my stall out differently from the start.”
His approach to the STEP programme (a training initiative for first-line supervisors) he had been working on changed dramatically. “Straight away I started contracting. I lost the prescriptive element—which was hard for me. I was used to telling people what to do, giving them ideas. Contracting was key, the reality is that if something doesn’t work it’s coming right back to me, but by contracting from the outset we were on the same page, the shift was uncomfortable but powerful and I felt even more confident in the programme we were developing.”
Building Phenomenal Relationships Through Active Listening
One of Danny’s biggest realisations concerned listening. “It helped with regards to actively listening—we all think we’re better than we actually are. The combination of being non-prescriptive and actively listening, using those terms like ‘what I’m hearing is’ or ‘what you’re feeling is’— those small habits are really helpful.”
The impact extended beyond work, he noticed he was listening and responding differently at home. His stepson noticed the difference: “He said to me, ‘I really like how you help me learn.’ That meant everything.”
Danny now uses morning pairs regularly in his role. “There are elements to my job where it suits me so much. The feedback has been really good, and it’s becoming muscle memory now.”
Creating the Conditions for Great Conversations
Danny’s approach to a recent Strategy Day demonstrated how the programme transformed his leadership style. “We had our Q4 strategy day last week. I approached it differently—directive stuff for safety, which stays prescriptive. But for operational excellence and how we best deliver it? That’s coaching and we take a client centred approach.”
He’s become more attuned to recognising and celebrating progress. “I can be guilty of not seeing the work and the positives. The contracting piece helps with that—because the work’s gone into it upfront, the results follow.”
The success has been tangible. After being seconded to run the STEP programme, Danny explains that the business wanted him to stay—and he became Capability Manager, overseeing leadership learning and development from first line to senior leadership, plus EDI and operational excellence.”
A Development Professional’s Recommendation
For someone who builds and evaluates development programmes for a living, Danny’s recommendation carries weight. “Yes, absolutely. I’d recommend the Client Centred programme to anyone in a coaching or leadership role.”
He’s particularly passionate about its value for senior leaders. “It’s massive for them. Senior leadership can be guilty of being prescriptive, and this is an opportunity to step back and realise there is a team of experts with talent and potential. Not to harness it would be short-sighted and micro-management, making their jobs harder”
“The client centred programme also gives you a real opportunity to get away from the actual working environment. Leaders can be under pressure, with lots at stake, demanding customers and a fast-paced work environment. The programme provides a chance to reset, rethink and develop yourself.”
The Power of Practice Over Theory
Danny emphasises the programme’s experiential nature. “The pre-work is excellent—that’s the theory. But practice is everything. You’re taught something and then you’re getting in the ring to practice. That’s when it becomes real. It’s mechanical at the start, but that’s how you learn.”
His advice to future participants is clear: “Give it 100% in the programme. Just go in there, don’t be afraid to be honest and you will enjoy it. Day one, keeping my mouth shut was so hard—don’t talk, just listen. But that’s where it starts.”
He cautions against going in with preconceptions. “I said to Bill (the programme founder) afterwards—it’s not a secret society, but it’s also best not to spoil it for people. They just need to give it 100% and be honest with themselves.”
Building Unique and Challenging Support Networks
Danny continues to meet with one of his fellow programme attendees every other month. “We catch up just to see how things are going, keep ourselves honest from a client centred point of view.”
“I have not only expanded my network but found people that inspire me, and will hold me to account to be the best version of me.”
The Lasting Impact: A New Way of Leading
But perhaps the most telling measure of impact comes from Danny’s LinkedIn post immediately after completing the programme: “This course for me personally has been transformative. Had I been told beforehand that I would come away feeling how I do, I would have written it off before I’d started.”
