Check-In Questions to Ask Your Family for Strong Culture

Do you ever struggle feeling like your family gets off track easily or it feels like you’re mainly battling through one problem to the next?

You need a family check-in process! Knowing the questions to ask your family can make all the difference.

To get out of the repetitive cycle going from one problem to the next, you need a proactive way to identify issues earlier on and have defined, regular touchpoints that make family evaluation a consistent part of your process.

Why You Need Family Evaluation

In theory, we all know it is good to understand what is going on within your family, but turning that into practice can be harder than it seems. Let’s try on a new perspective for family evaluation to give you a clearer foundation before you begin working on the family assessment questions to ask.

The Power of Vector Changes

When you begin to implement evaluation as a family, it allows you to identify the vector changes you need– the small, one degree pivots. A small change leads to long-term major trajectory shift, so we need to keep that vision in mind.

The mistake so many families make is that they try to solve the problem at once, or just focus on fixing the problem, not the root. A vector change allows you to adapt behavior, attitudes, the root systemic things. A regular family evaluation will give you space to identify those needs and get out of the crazy cycle of chasing one problem to the next.

Questions to Ask Family

Now that you have this important context of looking for the areas of change with the long-term trajectory impact, you can begin to approach looking for the right questions to ask family differently. In your regular check-in time, look for questions like these:

1. Have you felt truly heard and understood when communicating this (insert timeframe your evaluation is from)? If yes, what helped? If no, what could have been done differently?
2. Have we made affirming and encouraging each other a regular practice?
3. What values have actually shaped our habits and actions? Is there anything that needs to change?
4. How did we handle failure or disappointment in another person?
5. If someone outside our family observed us for a week, what do you think they would say defines us?
6. What can we learn from how we handled conflict recently? What needs to improve and what went well?
7. Who has been carrying a mental and/or emotional load the most in our family recently? What can we do to encourage?
8. What opportunities are you most excited about to participate in as a family?
9. In your family members, what were ways in the last month (or pick a timeframe) that you saw them living out our values?
10. What actions did we take related to our mission statement that felt most impactful?

These questions are just the starting point. Use these as inspiration to begin forming your own list for check-in questions. You’ll typically want to address these areas:

• Communication (use our assessment tool here)
• Values
• Individual Well-Being
• Culture

Implement These Family Evaluation Questions to Ask

As you begin developing these lists of questions, one helpful thing to focus on is what are the leading indicators for your family? (the warning signs or the early signs of success). When you understand the behaviors that shape your family, it is easier to get in alignment and know when a course correction is needed. Over time, you will learn the trends to pay attention to for your family’s health.

Need some help with the next vector change for your family? Our mini course “Winning as a Family” will give you 3 easy principles you can take and apply today. Sign up for free access here!