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Torch
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Illustrative scene: a leader takes responsibility for a strategy discussion with experienced colleagues.

Prepare your people for the responsibility ahead.

A bigger role asks for a different way of leading. Torch helps people practice the judgment, relationships and delegation their next chapter will demand, while they are still doing the work in front of them.

Explore the coaching approach

Potential gets people noticed. Practice prepares them for more.

Think beyond the current role.

Connect everyday decisions to the demands and tradeoffs of wider responsibility.

Influence without taking over.

Build relationships and decision boundaries instead of solving every problem personally.

Make the next step tangible.

Choose live work where a new leadership habit can be practiced and discussed.

Build readiness through real responsibility.

Start with the responsibility ahead, then shape individual development around real assignments and fair participation criteria.

Prioritize experience with the transition ahead, including broader scope, cross-functional influence or first-time people leadership, then confirm individual fit.

  1. Define the role ahead.

    Name the responsibilities, transition demands and transparent participation criteria that give the program its purpose.

  2. Make the goals personal.

    Match coaches to individual needs and choose a small set of development goals relevant to the responsibility ahead.

  3. Put growth into live work.

    Apply coaching to a stretch assignment, cross-functional decision or stakeholder relationship with clear boundaries.

  4. Review readiness with evidence.

    Consider agreed observations and work examples alongside the wider assessment used for role and succession decisions.

Look beyond the next title.

Choose role-relevant behaviors and review points before the program begins. Promotion is a separate decision, influenced by vacancies, business needs and performance.

Growth against role goals

Review participant progress on agreed responsibilities, recording whether the evidence is self-reported or observed.

Broader leadership behavior

Ask appropriate stakeholders about delegation, influence and ownership using consistent questions.

Learning in a stretch assignment

Discuss a concrete work example and distinguish new practice from a judgment that someone is ready for promotion.

Practice handing over a decision.

An illustrative Spark exchange turns a participant's development goal into a conversation to rehearse.

Explore Spark AI

An illustrative conversation using context supplied by the participant. Spark is optional.

Leader

I am leading a cross-functional launch, but every scheduling decision still comes back to me.

Spark AI

Which decisions could workstream leads own, and which changes would still need your involvement?

Leader

They could resolve scheduling within the launch date. Changes to that date or customer commitments need escalation.

Spark AI

Practice explaining that boundary, then ask the leads how they would apply it to the next scheduling conflict.

A next step to try

Agree decision boundaries with workstream leads.

Review which decisions stayed with the team and where the boundary needs clarification.

Experienced leaders. Worth your leaders’ time.

  • Every coach is ICF-credentialed
  • At least five years of coaching experience
  • Industry leaders with first-hand experience
  • Many doctoral-qualified psychologists and therapists
  • Matched to leaders and their responsibilities
Meet our coaches

  • Coach Sandeep

    Led businesses at Gap Inc. and Mars before coaching C-suite leaders and founders. MBA, Georgetown.

    Previously at
    Gap Inc. Mars The Body Shop

  • Coach Evelyn

    Former CEO of The RNA Society and COO of Parkinson Wellness Recovery. PhD, Cornell.

    Previously at
    RNA Society Parkinson Wellness Recovery American Chemical Society

  • Coach Rafal

    Former Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte Switzerland and Vice President at Barclays. ICF Master Certified Coach.

    Previously at
    Deloitte Barclays JP Morgan

  • Coach Sheryl

    Former Executive Vice President at Wells Fargo and Managing Director at Barclays.

    Previously at
    Wells Fargo Barclays UBS

  • Coach Jorge

    Former CEO of Axion Energy, a BP joint venture, and SVP of Global Strategic Partnerships at BP.

    Previously at
    Castrol BP Axion Energy

  • Coach Sophia

    Former Vice President and Business Unit CFO at Kraft Heinz.

    Previously at
    Kraft Heinz Procter & Gamble Walker & Company

  • Coach Jon

    Former Partner at Bain & Company and The Bridgespan Group.

    Previously at
    Bain & Company The Bridgespan Group Bannock Consulting

  • Coach Shirley

    Former Chief People Officer at Zadara and Callisto Media. PhD, Organizational Psychology.

    Previously at
    Zadara Callisto Media

  • Coach Andrew

    Former Chief Technology Officer at Parametric and COO at Synoptic Data.

    Previously at
    Parametric Microsoft Synoptic Data

  • Coach Anita

    Former Partner in Accenture's global strategy practice and Head of Innovation at KPMG Strategy.

    Previously at
    Accenture KPMG

  • Coach Shamar

    Led coaching and development programs at AvidXchange and GEICO. U.S. Navy veteran.

    Previously at
    AvidXchange GEICO U.S. Navy

  • Coach Marie

    Former Head of Commercial Excellence at Merck and Head of Marketing at Novartis.

    Previously at
    Novartis Merck

  • Coach Kevin

    Former VP of Product Management at BILL and Head of Global Product Marketing for QuickBooks at Intuit.

    Previously at
    BILL Intuit LinkedIn

  • Coach April

    Former Director of R&D at Johnson & Johnson. PhD, Organizational Leadership.

    Previously at
    Johnson & Johnson OraPharma Delaware Valley University

  • Coach Don

    Former Executive Vice President and COO at Gateway Ticketing Systems; led IT at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World.

    Previously at
    Gateway Ticketing Systems Walt Disney World Universal Orlando Resort

  • Coach Catherine

    Former APAC Chief Strategy Officer at Siemens Industry Software and regional director at IBM.

    Previously at
    Siemens IBM Cisco Systems

  • Coach Frank

    Former VP of Professional Services for North America at Unit4 and VP of Customer Success at Actifio.

    Previously at
    Unit4 SAP SuccessFactors Actifio

  • Coach Vanessa

    Former Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Executive coaching certificate, Columbia University.

    Previously at
    Michaud Cooley Erickson Wayside Recovery Center Control Data Corporation

  • Coach Jeff

    Former President of Healthcare Solutions at Budco Financial and VP of Marketing and Product Development at Dialog Direct.

    Previously at
    Budco Financial Dialog Direct

  • Coach Andrea

    Former Senior Director of Direct-to-Consumer Marketing at Procter & Gamble.

    Previously at
    Procter & Gamble PayPal

Explore FICO's approach to developing high-potential leaders

A related leadership-development case, not proof of succession readiness or promotion outcomes.

Explore the related page

Questions about critical talent.

Who decides who takes part?

Your organization defines fair participation criteria and owns selection. Torch helps shape development around the people and responsibilities in scope.

Does coaching determine succession readiness?

No. Coaching contributes development evidence, but succession decisions require a wider assessment of role demands, performance and organizational needs.

How is this different from executive coaching?

This program focuses on the transition into broader responsibility. Executive coaching addresses the demands and relationships of an existing senior role.

What is Torch?

Torch is a leadership coaching and alignment platform for developing people around organizational priorities. Experienced coaches help participants turn role-specific development goals into practice, with optional Spark AI for reflection and rehearsal.

Who needs room to grow into what comes next?

Start with the responsibility ahead, then build the development around the person.

Become a Torch Changemaker:

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