Breakthrough Coaching is the executive coaching practice founded by Dan Sakaki, a certified executive coach and seasoned facilitator with over 25 years of experience developing leadership capacity across the non-profit and business sectors. It guides individuals, leaders and groups toward meaningful, measurable growth.
This two-day workshop equips leaders and managers with the psychology, frameworks and practical tools to make better decisions under pressure. Participants explore how cognitive biases distort judgment, apply structured decision frameworks to real challenges and develop critical thinking habits that drive stronger, more confident leadership.
On completion, participants leave with a personal action plan ready to implement immediately. The course includes a follow-up coaching session with Q&A to support key messages and increased adoption.
What we cover
Day 1, Module 1: How Leaders Decide System 1 (fast, intuitive) versus System 2 (slow, deliberate) thinking, and the three decision traps leaders fall into. Recognize your own style and know when to use intuition versus analysis.
Day 1, Module 2: Cognitive Biases Confirmation bias, anchoring, sunk cost, overconfidence, the availability heuristic and groupthink. Identify and counter the six biases most likely to distort your own decisions.
Day 1, Module 3: Decision Frameworks WRAP, the Decision Matrix and Pre-Mortem Analysis, applied to a real-world case study.
Day 1, Module 4: Data & Risk The Risk Quadrant (Mitigate, Plan For, Monitor, Accept), satisficing, risk versus uncertainty and base rates. Prioritize risks, set decision deadlines and ground predictions in evidence.
Day 2, Module 5: Critical Thinking Toolkit Socratic questioning, steelmanning, first-principles thinking, the 5 Whys and inversion, applied to challenge assumptions and find root causes.
Day 2, Module 6: Group Decision Dynamics Groupthink, the HiPPO effect and false consensus. Devil's Advocate, Six Thinking Hats and the Decision Audit Trail for surfacing dissent.
Day 2, Module 7: High-Stakes Decisions The STOP model (Stop, Think, Options, Proceed) and a live crisis simulation exercise.
Day 2, Module 8: Personal Action Planning Personal strengths, biggest bias risk, the framework to adopt and an accountability commitment. Leave with a 30-day implementation plan.
Key takeaways
Great decision-makers know their biases and design habits to catch them
They use frameworks to structure complexity, not eliminate it
They make decisions at the right time, with good-enough information
They build teams that surface dissent rather than suppress it
They think critically about their own thinking
They remain decisive under ambiguity and humble after the fact
Every session is customized to your industry and environment. The final agenda is confirmed with your facilitator before delivery.
For organizations that want better decisions under pressure: leaders who recognize their biases, share a decision framework and act with confidence on incomplete information.
Leaders who chair decisions for a team, project or business unit
Leaders who want a shared decision language across their management group
