About
I am David Wilson, Founder and Lead Coach at Dominion Street Coaching. Like so many of us, I spent a lot of time during the pandemic reflecting. One particular area of my focus was on the training and development provided to senior professionals as they progress through various stages of their career, taking on new, bigger and more complex, often regulated, responsibilities. For so many, even in the biggest organisations, development can be haphazard with professionals left to their own devices. Professionals brought in to assist often have relevant skills but none that I have encountered embodies the "holy trinity" of coaching expertise, an understanding of psychology and actual experience of the issues, situations and industries of their clients. There was a clear need for that combination.
What can we do?
My coaching is geared to the needs of leaders and their teams, typically partners in professional services firms as well as general counsel, directors and senior executives of private and public sector organisations.
In a safe, entirely confidential, non-judgmental environment I can help you to respond to major career change with confidence, resilience, clarity, and purpose. Together we rewire your thinking to adapt and thrive in response to these major changes in your career.
Among others I work with:
- new promotes to work out precisely what is needed to succeed in the new role and to make a plan on which to execute
- parental leave returners to identify what has changed in them and in the market, how to adapt and how to execute
- unsuccessful promotion candidates to explore what has happened, why and how to react - reapply, accept or move on
- new practice leads to explore the routes and barriers to success in order to develop an actionable and accountable plan to succeed
- retiring professionals to identify and prepare for the next opportunities and challenges
Unleashing Potential
In today's ever-changing and unpredictable business landscape, human capital plays a vital role in achieving organisational competitive advantage. Executive performance coaching is uniquely positioned to help individuals develop the adaptive skills necessary to thrive. Rather than providing examples to follow or directing behaviour, coaching focuses on the client’s own skills, encouraging their own thinking and self-development.
My approach to coaching is founded on a study of psychology and centres on active listening and prompting your reflective practice. The discussions will be entirely confidential, allowing you freely to explore work-related challenges, career transitions, relationship dynamics, or any topic you find valuable to discuss with an impartial professional.
Experience You Can Trust
As a fully qualified and experienced executive coach, I bring a wealth of knowledge from my background in law and finance, as a partner at the international law firm Simmons and Simmons and then as managing director at the global investment bank Goldman Sachs, both very much ‘performance environments’. With years spent living and working around the world, including in Asia and in the Middle East, my coaching techniques draw on a diverse career of working with senior clients and creating and managing large global teams. I have provided coaching and mentoring in diverse situations over many years and have considerable experience in C-suite interactions, both as a trusted advisor and through my own executive, non-executive and chair roles.
Expertise Tailored to Your Needs
I am a member of the Association for Coaching, the pre-eminent professional body dedicated to promoting and regulating best practice and raising awareness and standards of coaching worldwide. I am certified by the triple-accredited Henley Business School, renowned globally for its postgraduate training and am a Hogan certified assessor, which allows me to bring those complementary psychometric skills to my coaching practice.
Adapting to your specific needs, I am able to draw from a range of academically rigorous disciplines, instruments, models, and frameworks during coaching sessions. This eclectic and versatile approach ensures that the coaching experience is tailored to you and addresses the current topic of discussion effectively.
Different people in different situations have different needs and so programmes are tailored accordingly. Sometimes it is helpful to obtain additional data to inform the coaching programme, such as feedback from colleagues or psychometric profiles.
Building Trust, Inspiring Confidence
I believe that every client is inherently creative and resourceful, possessing their own self-righting reflex. As a coach, my aim is to create an environment of trust and then step back, allowing you to tap into your full potential. With non-judgmental challenges and practical insights, I will guide you through difficult situations, empowering you to cultivate confidence, resilience, clarity, and purpose.
Our Process
Following a successful chemistry meeting clients commit to a programme of usually between 6 and 12 months. This can be shorter when there is an urgent, focused need. Most coaching is conducted face-to-face, supplemented by phone or video calls and emails as required. Depending on the program taken there is no limit to the frequency or length of meetings.
We agree coaching objectives at an early stage in each assignment and, where the client’s organisation has contributed an initial briefing, this is taken into account.
Clients’ agendas typically include how to meet short term goals; achieve long term aspirations; conquer today’s challenge; generate tomorrow’s strategic opportunity; manage their time in and out of work; extract better performance from a new team; and prepare for their next role or departure from the current one. Achievement is reviewed periodically throughout the assignment.
Client Testimonials
Here is what satisfied clients have to say about their experience working with me.
"David puts himself into the client’s world to explore" (partner, City law firm)
"Always accepts answers without judgment" (founder)
"a class act: analytical, but also intuitive; always thoughtful and considered, but decisive and capable of making fine judgements in difficult situations; collegiate and collaborative, but a natural leader, with clarity of thought and strategic wisdom" (King's Counsel)
"David helped me to see a different perspective and to realise that accepting and embracing who I am and how I operate may be more productive than trying to change myself." (founder)
"The process made clear to me that the solutions to challenges are already in my head." (partner, City law firm)
"David has great judgement and a marvellous way of helping people work through challenging situations! I cannot recommend him more highly!" (partner, global law firm)
"Razor sharp. Succinct and pithy but able to cut through the noise and get to the heart of the issue" (partner, global law firm)
"I could not recommend him more highly. He is patient, methodical, engaged and really cares about the problems and people in front of him." (head of litigation & investigations, global bank)
"David is a great listener and is very thoughtful in providing actionable feedback. David is always calm and measured and has a way to build trust. He is able to fill you with confidence to fly" (general counsel, global bank)
"highly respected in his field" (compliance office, commodities house)
"David has the worldliness and wisdom to fashion solutions to the most challenging and sophisticated of problems. He would be an incredible asset to be sat alongside" (barrister and chair of international arbitration)
"able expertly to navigate difficult interpersonal and organisational dynamics, without losing focus on the end goal" (partner, global law firm)
Unlock Positive Change and Personal Development
Coaching serves as an agent for positive change and personal development. If you or someone you know may be interested in this transformative experience, please reach out to us. We are committed to providing a discreet and confidential environment for clients to explore their challenges and goals. We understand the importance of privacy at the senior executive level, ensuring that all discussions and information shared remain strictly confidential. Your trust and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us.