The Wins That Make You Wonder

I walked into the conference room of one of my client’s companies, and a single phrase written on the whiteboard stopped me in my tracks:

Grace Over Grind.

There it was—front and center in a room where strategic plans are hashed out and decisions are made.

This phrase wasn't some cutesy motivational line (although there'd be nothing wrong with that). It was more of a declaration of how they chose to do business.

My client is the CEO of a technology firm, and I love how her team has embraced the expressions of grace as a part of their organizational culture:

• Rest as trust in motion—not just stopping, but surrendering
• Peace as clarity found in stillness, guiding wise decision-making
• Rhythms that allow room for reflection and restoration
• Collaboration that flows from shared purpose, not pressure or competition
• Favor that opens doors no strategy could
• Impact that can’t always be measured on a spreadsheet

One practice they’ve adopted is simple, powerful, and available to any team:

At some of their meetings, each person is invited to share a win that’s beyond them—an outcome, big or small, that can’t be fully explained by their own effort or expertise. I call this divine favor.

For example:

• A competitive contract that came through against the odds
• A surprising solution that emerged after taking intentional space to listen
• An unexpected resource that showed up right on time and made it possible to be a solution to a need in their local community

They’ve trained their eyes to look for these kinds of results.

They are making space for mystery.

They are cultivating anticipation.

They are growing in the awareness that they’re not doing this good work alone.

And here’s the beautiful ripple effect: As you and your team begin to recognize these “beyond you” and "beyond us" moments at work, you’ll often start seeing them in your personal lives, too—moments of unexpected provision, timely encouragement, or solutions you couldn’t have orchestrated.

It’s a culture shift that doesn’t stay contained within office walls.

This practice isn’t about everyone having the same religious background or spiritual beliefs—it’s about creating space for wonder, gratitude, and the acknowledgment that not all success is self-made.

Why This Matters

When you make a habit of recognizing divine favor, you shift your culture in two important ways:

1. Success takes on new meaning—no longer measured only by what you’ve earned, but also by what’s been entrusted. It invites both confidence and humility in how people contribute.
2. Collaboration becomes deeper—not just with each other, but with the One who multiplies your efforts. You begin to work with the awareness that the best outcomes aren’t manufactured by you, but made possible through you.

When teams begin to anticipate results that are beyond them, they can focus on faithfully doing their part and release the anxiety that comes from trying to control every outcome. That’s when peace and rest begin to reign.

So here’s a simple practice you can start this week:

Ask yourself: "What's one win I've experienced (big or small) that I couldn't have pulled off my own?"

Ask your team: “What’s one win we’ve experienced (big or small) as a team that we couldn’t have pulled off on our own?”

Acknowledge and celebrate it. Write it on your whiteboard if you want. Let it signal to you and your team that grace has a seat at the table, too...and that makes infinitely more possible.

I'm Shae Bynes (aka Chief Fire Igniter). As an executive advisor, I bring over a decade of experience helping entrepreneurs and leaders adopt a grace-empowered approach to business. For those ready to bring transformation to full scale at the organizational level, I collaborate with the powerhouse team at Excellent Cultures. Together, we help you expose and eliminate the culture monsters—those hidden issues that quietly sabotage performance—so you can create the results you truly desire (often with triple and quadruple-digit ROI). To learn more, visit ShaeBynes.com

P.S. Check out my latest book, Grace Under Pressure: A Story About Leadership and the Hidden Cost of Ambition.