Burnout in Churches and Christian Faith-Based Organisations

These combine to form a complex web of power within which organisational leaders operate, as
shown in Figure 6. Leaders should expect to be subject to appropriate pressure from a wide range
of people seeking to express their views, press the pursuit of the vision, further their own personal
goals, etc. Power used for the right reasons, consciously and appropriately, is integral to moving an
organisation forward. Power used carelessly and, or for the wrong reasons, results in relationship
damage, wasted energy and feuds that may rumble on for ages. Shying away from the use of power or
denying its existence will lead to clumsy or even powerless leadership.
When people think of power they typically think of situations where one person has authority over
another, for example a Chief Executive over a Director, a team leader over a team member and a
Churchwarden over the leader of the Sunday School. Often their understanding of power is limited
to reward or coercion, classic ‘top down’ forms, which in many situations may be inappropriate and
much less effective than other forms. Staff and volunteers may exert pressure on those leading them,
for example, by threatening to take an idea or grievance to a more senior person. Colleagues may use
power to win resources for their own project, even at the expense of the work or project of a peer. A
service user may assert their rights and willingness to go to the press on a matter, or a member of the
congregation, or to the Bishop.
Often the use of power is unconscious, a leader simply acting or ‘shooting from the lip’, without
considering whether they are likely to be successful. It is easy to handle power poorly, win a battle
but lose the war, in the process incurring longer term collateral damage to yourself, to others and to
relationships. When frustrated or stressed, people who normally use power consciously and with skill
and sensitivity, may slip into crude, aggressive or bullying behaviour.
It is vital then that leaders:
• Understand the sources of power available to them and those which they habitually use.
• Know how well they use power, in particular the impact of this on other people.
• Understand the extent to which aspects of culture encourage or discourage inappropriate use
of power.
• Can discern when the use of power by others is unhelpful and intervene in ways that help
maintain the intended recipe.
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