Organizational habits often set the drumbeat: quarter-end pushes, annual summits, weekly status rituals. Strategy, meanwhile, moves in waves that benefit from different kinds of energy -- exploration and framing, concentrated build, high-tempo collaboration, delivery, and learning. Peak efforts flourish when the strategic wave and human energy crest together.

At GuldBoSund, a nursing home and rehabilitation center in Denmark, staff redesigned daily routines around residents' preferred rhythms rather than a fixed schedule. One resident enjoys coffee and breakfast at 5:30 a.m., while others sleep until 9:30. Staff also adjusted their own shifts to better match their personal energy cycles, coordinating care so that residents' needs were always met. The outcome: residents experienced higher quality of life, and staff took fewer than two sick days a year on average -- including night-shift workers. The example shows that when human rhythms are respected, well-being and performance strengthen each other.

* Plot an energy calendar: map recurring highs and lows and overlay strategy waves.

* Concentrate the peaks: design a few shared surges instead of scattering intensity.

* Stage the build: use short "rhythm sprints" before high-stakes moments, then cooldowns to consolidate learning.

* Anchor the why for co-location: mark the specific moments when being in-person creates outsized value.

* Measure cadence as well as milestones: track rhythm health with metrics such as rework, decision latency, and recovery time.

The payoff comes in the form of stronger execution at the moments that matter, with a team resilient enough to repeat success across cycles.

Make the invisible visible: a mini-playbook

Rhythm becomes central to team performance once it becomes visible. Leaders can set the tone with a few simple practices:

* Rhythm mapping. Run a short survey or whiteboard session that asks three questions: When does focus feel strongest? When does collaboration feel easiest? Where do we lose flow? Turn the answers into a one-page map for the team.

* Shared cadence charter. Agree the weekly and monthly rhythm: deep-work spans, meeting windows, response expectations, and decision rituals. Keep it light and visible; update as the work evolves.

* Quarterly rhythm review. Look back on the past cycle: Where did energy surge or dip? What clashed? What flowed? Adjust the next cycle accordingly.

* Leader rhythm transparency. Publish your own focus windows, collaboration preferences, and recovery practices. Model the behaviour you want the team to adopt.

* Recovery as a capability. Teach practical reset rituals, such as after-action reviews that end with gratitude, shorter meetings with clear outcomes, brief meeting-free blocks after launches, and flexible Fridays during lower-demand periods.

These moves require little budget and deliver immediate benefits: clearer attention, fewer collisions, and more consistent progress.