Prayer will not turn a donkey into a racehorse, no matter how much we prefer the racehorse to the donkey. Finally, when leaders become hesitant to make a crucial decision, prayer can be misused as a pious way to procrastinate. A leader needs to face his fears and indecision, not cover them with a prayer shawl. Stepping over a fine line from misuse is abuse. I see a difference between the two.
Misuse comes from ignorance, while abuse comes from the wrong attitude and motive.
I have heard leaders instruct God to bless their plans. This, to me, is abuse, for it is proper to request something from God but not to instruct Him. Sometimes a leader lets followers listen in while he thanks God for telling him what the organization is supposed to do. Often such prayers claim knowledge of God's will in order to line up followers. I once heard a leader ask for discussion of a program that, according to him, was the will of God.