Family Constitution

Abstract

A Strategic Plan is only a plan, after all; action is the glue that binds planning and purpose together to create measurable results. Your Strategic Plan must be implemented through a series of practical and often measurable steps. One such step is the creation of a “Family Constitution,” which formally sets the rules under which the family’s governance, power sharing, communication, and problem-solving systems are established.

If the Strategic Plan is the virtual roadmap for the family, then the Family Constitution creates the guard rails alongside the road that keeps you from veering off track or crashing into a tree as your family, and legacy, evolves. Every country has its constitution; every corporation has its bylaws. Most families just have mom and dad. They make the rules as they go, change those rules to fit the circumstances, and rarely feel bound by them.