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Every now and then, you have a conversation that stays with you long after it's over. A few weeks ago I interviewed Stephanie Johnson, MBA and Colin Callahan from Acklen Avenue on the #DynamicDecisionsPodcast—and it was one of those conversations.
What started as a discussion about operational strategy and decision-making turned into something much deeper—a masterclass in authentic leadership, intentional culture building, and what it really means to create space for people to thrive.
I've been hosting this podcast for a while now, and I've talked to countless leaders about their decision-making processes, their frameworks, their metrics. But this conversation was different. Maybe it was the way Stephanie and Colin talked about their partnership—genuine, honest, and without the usual corporate speak that makes your eyes glaze over.
Maybe it was watching two people who've figured out something that most organizations still struggle with: how to build a company where people can show up as themselves and do their best work.
Colin started Acklen Avenue in 2011 with his co-founder, building it from the ground up in the software development space. By the time he brought Stephanie on as COO three and a half years ago, he was feeling worn out while she was energized and ready to take on the world.
There's something beautiful about that timing—a founder recognizing when it's time to step back and a leader ready to step up.
But here's what struck me most about their transition: it wasn't just about titles or responsibilities. Colin didn't just hand over the keys and disappear. He created an environment where Stephanie could spread her wings fully.
She told me this was one of the best jobs she's ever had because she gets to show up as herself every single day, I felt that in my bones.
As a woman who has navigated corporate America for years without having a "Colin" in my corner, I know how rare this is. Most of us have to tone down our personalities, or prove ourselves twice as hard just to get a seat at the table, let alone run the meeting.
What Colin did—and what Stephanie is now doing for others—is creating space for authentic leadership to flourish.
One of the most powerful metaphors Stephanie shared was about building the ship while you're sailing it. That's the reality of growth—you can't stop everything to fix everything. You have to maintain your culture and communication while you're also trying to scale, meet revenue targets, and deliver for customers.
"You have to make sure that you're bringing the people along with you in the changes that are occurring."
This isn't just about communication—though that's crucial. It's about making sure that when you're sitting in departmental meetings or quarterly planning sessions, the message from the top is the same message being lived out at every level.
They call it "ultimate alignment," and I love that phrase because it captures something essential about organizational health. It's not enough for senior leadership to be aligned if that alignment doesn't flow through the entire organization.
Everyone needs to understand not just what the direction is, but why it matters and how their work contributes to getting there.
When we got to talking about innovation, Stephanie dropped one of my favorite analogies of the entire conversation. She compared innovation to Mexican food—take the same basic ingredients (tortilla, cheese, tomatoes) and you can make tacos, burritos, bowls, or even pizza.
The magic isn't in inventing completely new ingredients; it's in how you combine and prepare what you already have.
This resonated with me because too often, we think innovation has to be revolutionary. We think we need to blow everything up and start from scratch. But real innovation—the kind that actually moves the needle—often comes from looking at what you already have with fresh eyes.
What can you reinvent, repackage, or recombine in ways that create new value?
Acklen Avenue officially launched their innovation efforts in 2025, but as Stephanie pointed out, innovation was already happening naturally in the company. The formal structure just gave it focus and intention.
Sometimes the best innovations come from taking something that's working in one area and applying it somewhere else, or taking a successful process and scaling it differently.
One of the things I appreciate most about Stephanie and Colin is that they don't just talk about good decision-making in theory—they've built systems that work in practice. Their approach is straightforward but disciplined:
Everything goes on an issues list. Anyone in the organization can identify an issue—it doesn't have to come from senior leadership. They assess the risk and timeline, assign ownership for gathering information, and make decisions quickly rather than waiting for perfect information.
"80% is good enough. Progress not perfection."
This is where a lot of organizations get stuck. They want to gather more data, run more analysis, get more input. Meanwhile, the opportunity passes them by or the problem gets worse. Colin and Stephanie have embraced what they call being "professionals at high-stakes decision making."
They'd rather fail fast than get stuck in analysis paralysis.
They don't just make quick decisions and hope for the best. They track outcomes obsessively. Pipeline metrics, client diversity, delivery timelines, employee engagement—they know what matters and they measure it consistently. When something dips, they immediately start asking why and looking for root causes.
One of the biggest shifts Acklen Avenue made was becoming truly data-driven. Not just collecting data for the sake of having it, but identifying what really matters and tracking it religiously.
Stephanie walks into her meetings with Colin knowing exactly where their pipeline stands, what their shortfalls look like, how their talent acquisition team is performing, and whether they're maintaining client diversity. She tracks weekly metrics, monthly trends, and quarterly goals because the data tells them when they need to make adjustments.
But what I love about their approach is that they don't just look at the numbers—they look at the trend lines. A single bad month might be an anomaly. A trend in the wrong direction is a signal that something needs to change.
"The mistake is the unveiling of the issue,"
I wrote that down. Too many organizations focus on the mistake itself instead of using it as a diagnostic tool. What broke down? Where was the gap? How do we prevent this from happening again?
I left this conversation thinking about what makes some organizations special while others struggle with basic fundamentals. Stephanie and Colin haven't discovered some secret formula that nobody else knows about. They're doing things that any organization could do—if they were willing to commit to them consistently.
They've created psychological safety where people can bring up issues without fear.
They've built systems for making decisions quickly while still being thoughtful. They measure what matters and use that data to make adjustments. They've aligned their entire organization around a clear vision and values.
But most importantly, they've created an environment where people can do their best work. Not by accident, but by intention. Not through grand gestures, but through daily practices that add up over time.
When Colin gave Stephanie the opportunity to spread her wings, he didn't just change her trajectory—he created opportunities for her to do the same for others.
That's the ripple effect of good leadership. When you create space for someone to thrive, they go on to create that same space for others. When you build systems that work, other people can take those systems and apply them in new contexts. When you demonstrate that different types of people can be successful in leadership roles, you expand the possibilities for everyone who comes after.
The best decisions really do come from great conversations. But great conversations require great leaders who are willing to listen, ask good questions, and create space for others to contribute. Colin and Stephanie have figured that out, and their organization is better for it.
More importantly, they're showing the rest of us what's possible when leadership is done right. Not perfect—they'd be the first to tell you they make mistakes. They are focused on bringing out the best in the people around them.
That's the kind of leadership the world needs more of.
Listen to our conversation on the Dynamic Decisions Podcast: https://spti.fi/AcklenAvenue
