Publish the Rhythm

The Missing Middle series, Part 4

Not every fire is a crisis. Some are just unspoken timing issues.

When do we check in? Who owns this next? When will the stuck work move?

If those moments aren’t pre-decided, they turn into repeated distractions. And even your best people end up waiting.

Rhythm isn’t about meetings.

It’s about visible, shared time.

• Check-ins don’t depend on memory

• Escalations have fixed slots

• Handoffs name who owns it, by when, and what “done” means

• Reviews happen … whether you’re in or not

It doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to be published.

The Week That Breathes

Start here. Don’t aim for perfection … aim for predictability. This rhythm isn’t a meeting culture. It’s a movement culture. It tells your team: this is where decisions happen, and this is when we fix what’s stuck.

Mon 10:00–10:20 – Ops Check

Start the week with what’s live: each WIP lane, the current owner, next decision due, and one flagged risk. Short. Focused. No project plans, no slides.

Tue 11:30–12:00 – Escalation Window #1

Ambers land here. Reds too … but only the real ones. No pinging leads on WhatsApp. If it’s not urgent, it waits for the slot. That’s how trust builds.

Wed 2:00–4:00 – Deep Work (Do Not Disturb)

Founders and managers are offline. This is not “off.” It’s when the system runs without checking first. And yes … it might wobble the first few weeks. That’s the point.

Thu 11:30–12:00 – Escalation Window #2

Same rule. If it didn’t close on Tuesday, it lands here … and now with context and a clear “what’s blocked” ask.

Fri 4:00–4:30 – Close & Commit

What shipped, what slipped, and what rolls forward. The goal? Zero “unclear status” items in anyone’s head over the weekend.

Daily (5 mins) – Standup by lane

No long updates. No monologues. If nothing changed, say so and move on. This is heartbeat, not theatre.

The School Bus Playbook

7:18 a.m.: “Bus kidhar hai?” Parents’ group lights up. Driver gets 6 calls. Someone shares a live location. Now add rhythm:

• Bag packed at night

• Kids at gate by 7:25

• Volunteer confirms headcount

• Escalate only if 10+ mins late

• Class teacher looped in only if two delays occur

Same people. Same bus.

Less panic.

Work didn’t get easier.

Time got structured.

What a good handoff

sounds like

From Sales to Ops

Owner: Priya

Next decision: Client sign-off

Due: Wed 5 PM

“Done” = invoice raised

Escalate in Thursday window if stuck

No flourish. Just clarity.

The part most teams

miss: Mindset

You can publish the slots. You can run the check-ins. But unless the mindset shifts, rhythm won’t hold. If the team still believes “it’s safer to wait for approval,” no calendar will fix it.

People need to know:

• Their decisions are trusted

• Mistakes will be handled inside the system

• You won’t override unless the ladder calls for it

This takes more than policy. It takes habit change, nudges, and sometimes, real coaching.

Rhythm isn’t just scheduling work. It’s transferring belief.

Roll it out (30–60–90)

Days 1–30 – Stabilise

n Pick two flows

n Publish the diary

n Enforce owner tags

n Kill side-DMs during escalation windows

Days 31–60 – Strengthen

• Add a third flow

• Define non-interference zones

• Document “what good looks like” in one page

  
  

Days 61–90 – Scale

• Add finance or hiring

• Start a decision log

• Simulate a stress week (double volume, observe what bends)

• Signals it’s working

• You stop hearing “Just checking if you saw this…”

• Standups start with “Here’s what moved”

• Handoffs name owner + next decision + done definition

• After-hours messages drop

• You leave early without guilt

That’s calm by design. Not a break from chaos … a replacement for it.

What this series really said

• Headcount adds capacity. The middle adds speed

• Ownership needs to be published, not implied

• Founders scale through structure, not presence

• Rhythm is how it all becomes daily

You don’t need more tools.

You don’t need louder follow-ups.

You just need time that runs in public … and decisions that land where they belong.

Take one hour today.

Block Mon ops, Tue/Thu windows, Fri close. Post the handoff script in your busiest lane.

And then let the system wobble. That’s when it learns to stand.

(Rashmi Kulkarni is Co-founder at PPS Consulting. Views personal. Write to rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz.)