That ubiquitous species the researcher has come up with some further gems of wisdom on the plight of hard-pressed management.

According to US-based Manchester Consulting, there are five primary reasons why four out of 10 newly-promoted managers and executives fail within the first 18 months of being in their new job.

These include: not building partnerships or teams with colleagues and peers; unclear expectations from higher management; not enough internal political savvy; taking too long to learn the job; and inability to balance work and personal lives, singled out by 25 per cent.

And five tactics for improving the chances of success: get higher managers to clearly set firstyear goals and expectations; get a specific timetable from higher managers for reaching those goals; determine how results will be measured; determine what role the bosses expect to play; find out how the boss prefers to get progress reports and feedback.

It's easy when you know how!