The trouble is that, in today's competitive business world, many people are promoted to positions of responsibility without having the wherewithal to wield their newfound authority. Some organisations become topheavy by virtue of trying to give everybody working there an impressive title, while others respond to a technical demand by installing a specialist person in a managerial role. But authority that is given is no substitute for authority that is earned, and organisations can suffer, even in the short term, by handing responsibility to a person who has, essentially, been appointed as manager by accident.

"There is a tendency, particularly in certain sectors, for people to be recruited to provide a specific technical or professional role within an organisation, " explained Charlie Mernagh, associate director with Business Training Solutions. "If they perform this role well, they are frequently 'promoted' into higher positions. These new roles include the responsibility for management of the function, but all too often, little or no support, training and development are done.

This seems really at odds in a world where increasing emphasis is placed upon 'qualification' for the job."

Mernagh points to the example of an architect who is appointed to a senior position within a company. A dedicated professional, this person has probably spent up to six years studying and developing to become an architect . . . but after being appointed to a position of managing other architects, there would be a requirement to 'lose' some of the technical part of the job and become a 'manager' of technicians instead.

"The new role places new and different demands on the post holder, yet too often it is not backed up with the time to learn, understand, develop and practice this new set of skills, " he said.

It is, of course, important to make the distinction between leadership and management, and a basic distinction relates to status. In order to be a manager in most organisations you will normally be located fairly high in the hierarchy; a leader can be located anywhere.

"Management can be viewed as doing things right, whereas leadership is doing the right thing, " said Mernagh.

"Managers work to a route plan or design, whilst a leader focuses upon the overall direction of the work."

There are, of course, many reasons why a person will follow a leader, from fear to convention - we obey the supervisor because she is the supervisor. But the most durable conditions of leadership in modern organisations are probably respect and trust.

"More and more managers stand or fall by their performance as leaders, " said Mernagh. "The responsibility for ensuring that people give their best rests with managers. The leaders aim must be to make full use of their team's strengths, abilities and qualities to achieve the desired results."

There are, of course, different styles of leadership, and many leaders will want to adapt their styles to suit different situations . . . "situational leadership". Styles can range from giving orders to selling a decision to a team, and from consultation over a decision to allowing the group to decide, under parameters set by the leader, but ultimately the responsibility lies with the leader him or herself.

"The extent and scope of your role as a manager will depend upon the industry sector and organisation in which you work, " said Mernagh. "However, most managers will be required to supervise the work of other employees and to ensure the meeting of objectives, and, to achieve this, managers must have a grasp on the general principles of good management and leadership."

Key skills include communication, and an ability to listen and to be open-minded. But managers should also have a good grasp of management theory as a scientific process.

For example, Frederick Taylor, writing in the early part of the 20th century, spoke of dividing up management into discrete areas of control as the basic principle of management. There are five principles that directed Taylor's approach to management:

Shift all responsibility for the organisation of work from the worker to the manager;

Use scientific methods to determine the most efficient way of doing work; Select the best person to perform the job; Train the worker to do the job efficiently; Monitor worker performance against laid down procedures.

"With the exception of the first principle, the others remain a model of good management practice today, " said Mernagh. "Ironically, it was the very division of 'management' from 'worker' that prevented an organisation really getting the value from the workforce it was painstakingly organising and training."

There is any number of theories into management practice, and knowledge of these can significantly enhance a person's ability to manage.

Some of these can be read as part of a person's general interest reading . . . but probably the most effective means of becoming a good manager is to take part in a dedicated training programme which has been specifically designed to make managers into effective leaders.