3 Questions for Creating Alignment on Vision for Your Family

Growing sets of research, including from experts like Dennis Jaffe, indicate that one of the most important keys to family success includes having defined vision as a family. Your family has to know where they are headed and why it matters if you want them to all be pulling in the same direction.

At Legacy Stone, one of our specialities is helping Christian families define their family vision and mission statements, so today, we’re sharing some unique keys we’ve learned that will help you set a vision for your family.

3 QUESTIONS TO CREATE ALIGNMENT ON VISION FOR YOUR FAMILY

The very first place Christian families need to begin when it comes to vision as a family is understanding why this direction should matter to you all. In short, you have to be aligned. Let’s talk about how to create alignment when it comes to vision for your family using some key questions.

FAMILY VISION ALIGNMENT QUESTIONS

• Start with the big question: "What do we want our family to look like 250 years from now?"
  This question is an easy way to start collecting some ideas as a family. Talk about character traits, things the family is still doing, what they’ve accomplished, etc. You’ll start to see themes where you all are agreeing on certain areas.
• As you discuss that future vision, ask, "What would this 250 year view force us to change in our lives right now?" 
  This is one of the most telling questions that will force you to pinpoint where you might have friction or challenges when it comes to setting a vision. Or if the vision wouldn’t require any change, it may not be a big enough challenge to work toward. Knowing where you are off-track can help you begin to determine why that lack of alignment exists.
• With potential problem areas identified, now consider the flip-side by answering, "What would success look like as a family in the next year?"

By dialing it down, it will help you each work towards more tangible measures of progress or uncover any areas where you may not be aligned in terms of what next steps are.

Through these questions, the goal is to make sure your family is walking away with not only a clear picture of where you want to head but also what some of the hurdles may be. When you have both the positives to work towards and the awareness of the challenges, it will help make vision not just aspirational but also tangible in your action steps.

If you create a vision that is only aspirational, it won’t translate to daily life or it will cause friction when not everyone is behind it.

APPLYING A VISION FOR YOUR FAMILY

Now that you have begun to identify direction for your family and its potential stumbling blocks, you have to apply those lessons.

The quick summary on how to do this: Use a red, yellow, green light tool to see how you are living matches up with the vision.

EVALUATING YOUR FAMILY VISION ALIGNMENT

Our favorite tool to keep everyone in sync regularly on your vision is setting your red, yellow, and green lights evaluation metrics. You can use these as regular checkpoints.

Red Light: These are the behaviors that are completely out of bounds when it comes to your vision. These should be warning signs that you need a hard reset to get back to making decisions in alignment with vision.

For example: Going a month without a family meeting. Investing our time in something that isn’t fully in line with our values.

Yellow Light: These are the warning indicators that could easily pull your family off-course if you don’t pay attention now. They’re the things to act on so you don’t go down the slippery slope.

For example: The actions that support your vision best are starting to have to wait for the weekend or the next get together as a family.

Green Light: These are the actions that best advance your vision and that indicate success. It’s not just about what to continue but making sure that you have things to celebrate!

For example: Hitting a milestone with generosity and having time to celebrate that achievement.

ALIGN, APPLY, REPEAT VISION FOR YOUR FAMILY

Because family vision is such a big picture idea, alignment will be one of the best ways you can make it tangible. Use these tools on a regular basis to help your family find where you need to make adjustments and where you can stay strong. God intended your family to last and live out all He has called you to, so keep running hard towards that vision for your family!

-

Need some quick wins for your family? We want to give you 3 easy keys we start all Legacy Stone families with in our quick Winning as a Family videos. Click here to get access now!