Healing Beyond the Clinic

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker,...

min read

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker, mentor and philanthropist — Dr Samudra has balanced many roles with commitment. While she manages a busy medical practice, her deeper calling has always been service. For her, medicine is not merely a profession but a responsibility towards the people who depend on her guidance. Nagpur to Panvel Born and raised in Nagpur, Dr Samudra completed her medical education there before moving to Mumbai in search of better opportunities. The early years were challenging. With determination, she and her husband Girish Samudra, an entrepreneur involved in underwater pipeline projects, chose to build their life in Panvel. At a time when the town was still developing and healthcare awareness was limited, she decided to make it both her workplace and home. What began with modest resources gradually grew into a trusted medical practice built on long-standing relationships with patients. Fighting Diabetes Recognising the growing threat of diabetes, Dr Samudra dedicated her career to treating and educating patients about the disease. Over the years, she has registered nearly 30,000 patients from Panvel and nearby areas. Yet she believes treatment alone is not enough. “Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Medicines are important, but patient education is equally critical. If people understand the condition, they can manage it better and prevent complications,” she says. For more than 27 years, she has organised an Annual Patients’ Education Programme, offering diagnostic tests at concessional rates and sessions on lifestyle management. Family, Practice With her husband frequently travelling for business, much of the responsibility of raising their two children fell on Dr Samudra. Instead of expanding her practice aggressively, she kept it close to home and adjusted her OPD timings around her children’s schedules. “It was not easy,” she recalls, “but I wanted to fulfil my responsibilities as a mother while continuing to serve my patients.” Beyond Medicine Today, Dr Samudra also devotes time to social initiatives through the Bharat Vikas Parishad, where she serves as Regional Head. Her projects include Plastic Mukta Vasundhara , which promotes reduced use of single-use plastic, and Sainik Ho Tumchyasathi , an initiative that sends Diwali faral (snack hamper) to Indian soldiers posted at the borders. Last year alone, 15,000 boxes were sent to troops. Despite decades of service, she measures success not in wealth but in goodwill. “I may not have earned huge money,” she says, “but I have earned immense love and respect from my patients. That is something I will always be grateful for.”

You Built the System; Now Stay in It

Rahul Kulkarni
Apr 27, 2025
3 min read

Over the next few weeks, we shall explore why scaling stalls – not because teams lack talent or tools, but because founders keep re-inserting themselves into systems they built.

Every founder wants their business to run without them – until it does.

A company spends months setting up workflows, dashboards, and governance rhythms. The team is cautiously optimistic. Finally, some structure and clarity.

Then something goes slightly off-track, prompting the founder to step in. A quick override, a reassigned task, or a late-night WhatsApp message that bypasses the system.

“It’s urgent,” they say. “This one’s different.”

But it never stays “just this once”. Over time, the team learns the wrong lesson: structure is optional, alignment is cosmetic, and the real rule is the founder’s preference.

When Belief Breaks Behaviour

This is not a process issue; it is a belief issue.

Many founders quietly assume they are the only ones who truly understand the business goals and that left alone, others will not execute with the same urgency or clarity. That fear might be true early on – but if left unchecked, it becomes a permanent bottleneck.

Execution cannot scale if systems collapse the moment the founder steps away. And culture can’t mature when alignment depends on one person’s judgement.

A System That Was Not Allowed to Work

In many ways, it is like building a railway line – and then insisting on driving the train manually at every crossing. The tracks may be solid and the schedule planned, but if the driver keeps pulling the brake to reroute at every junction, the system stalls. Founders often become those manual overrides – believing they are helping when they are actually slowing everything down.

A genetic testing startup we worked with in the US had strong demand, solid tech, and investor backing – but no rhythm. We helped them build a PMO structure with project prioritisation, ownership flows, and tracking. For three weeks, it held. Then the founder began emailing mid-sprint changes, skipping reviews, and assigning tasks directly – all in the name of speed. The system did not break – it was never allowed to work.

Each override weakened the structure. Ironically, it wasn’t ego; it was fear: that without intervention, things would fall apart. But the very habit meant the team never stepped up.

Only when he committed to staying inside the rhythm – no last-minute insertions – did change take root. Compliance turnaround improved, milestones were hit, and leadership hours were finally freed.

The difference? Trust – not just in people, but in the system he had built.

The Trust Loop You Actually Need

Social psychology calls this the broken window effect – when visible rule-breaking signals that structure doesn’t matter. In cities, it leads to vandalism. In companies, it leads to silent disengagement. People stop respecting the system when the leader doesn’t either.

At PPS Consulting, we call this the Trust Loop:

You design the rhythm.
You stay inside the rhythm.
You enforce exceptions through the system, but not around it.

Over time, the system earns trust. The team earns rhythm. And the founder earns back time.

Rashmi called it the fallback loop, which is when systems are installed but never given space to function. Founders stay close, and the team learns that trust is conditional.

If your team isn’t consistent, it may not be a people issue – or even a process issue. It may be an exception issue.

Ask yourself:

Do I trust the system I helped design?
Have I taught the team to follow it or wait for my override?
What would it look like to stay inside the rhythm for 30 days?
Because every time you break the loop, you signal that clarity is conditional.
And that’s how execution breaks quietly, culturally, and completely avoidably.

We have to stop breaking what we built

Next week, Rashmi picks up the thread.

What looks like a busy team might just be a queue – waiting for your signal.

(The author is a co-founder at PPS Consulting. He is a business transformation consultant. He could be reached at rahul@ppsconsulting.biz.)

1 Comment

Chittaranjan Padave

May 01, 2025

You have touched an interesting aspect of Trust between “Users (humans, which is a dynamic variable)” and “Systems (Which are fixed and algorithmic)” …. During project executions, it is grossly observed that Business Stakeholders tend to override the systems out of business urgency, lower trust, preconceived notions etc. BUT if not fixed in next cycle, it becomes norm, then eroding the belief in process.