My mother-in-law’s Christmas cactus, Policy Governance, and a meaty metaphor

Next to a pithy phrase, a meaty metaphor is my favorite rhetorical device. It’s possible to say a lot with a few words. Case in point: my mother-in-law’s Christmas cactus as a stand-in for Policy Governance.

“Say what?” you ask. “Stick with me,” I answer.

Following the death of my mother-in-law, I accepted responsibility for an almost 100-year old Christmas cactus that she had lovingly tended for more than three decades. I’m not a particular fan of the genus Schlumbergera, but this one meant a lot to her, and she meant a lot to me. So when no one else claimed the gnarly old thing, I took it.

No dumpster for the family cactus. Not on my watch

The ancient plant is alive and well thanks to the efforts of three generations of Basinger women — no small thing in today’s throw-away culture. The Christmas cactus came to my mother-in-law upon the death of an aunt who, in the mid-1930s, had inherited the plant from her mother, my husband’s great-grandmother.

Now it’s mine to nurture until the day it passes to a 5^th generation caretaker. Which has me on a quest to learn all I can about the care and feeding of a Christmas cactus.

A plant by any other name isn’t a Christmas cactus.

And that brings me back to the idea of  metaphor and my role as chair of a nonprofit board that several years ago went the way of Policy Governance (aka the Carver Model).

Truth be told, I’ve not been a fan of Policy Governance. My work with boards of faith-based nonprofits has brought me into contact with enough misuses of the model to make me a skeptic. However, Policy Governance meant a lot to the board chairs who proceeded me – wise women who I like and respect. So I’ve taken it on.

No dumpster for the organization’s governance model. Not on my watch.

In fact, I’m determined to see this thing thrive – maybe even bloom. And that has me on a quest to learn all I can about Policy Governance, including:

• reading and rereading the Carver library;
• subscribing to Policy Governance-focused blogs;
• talking with consultants;  and
• hunting for “best of” examples of Policy Governance in action.

But governance, like life, goes on. So even as I’m learning, I’m also acting. This includes:

•  reviewing my board’s policy handbook and identifying gaps in the coverage;
• adding policy development and monitoring to the board’s work plan for the year; and
• putting an introduction to Policy Governance at the center of new member orientation.

In the midst of it all, I’m looking for a likely next generation caretaker who I can start prepping now in anticipation of my end of term as board chair.

I’ve not yet experienced a “road to Damascus” level conversion to Christmas cacti or Policy Governance. But I’m warming to both. And who knows, I may even get them to bloom under my watch.