The Blindspot

What is power, who has it and how did they get it? Surprisingly, even today’s leaders would struggle to provide an answer, because most receive no real training on power at all – just like everybody else. The few exceptions learn that ethical behaviour is separate from power. It’s a recipe for disasters like the Post Office Horizon scandal to happen again and again.

In The Blindspot, executive coach Douglas Board and Anglican priest Martin Henwood show how this ignorance is not only damaging but also unnecessary. Providing a uniquely engaging introduction to ideas about power, they reflect on more than fifty real-life incidents – including dozens from their own personal experience – to help us understand how this lack of knowledge affects us all, as well as what we can do about it. Their examples range from corporate misconduct and the misuse of authority in churches, hospitals and schools, to whistleblowing at Uber and the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ultimately, this timely and important book demonstrates that by truly understanding power, we can help to bring about a more accountable and compassionate world.