Leadership vs. management skills: 5 main differences

The debate of managers vs leaders is as old as time. While leadership and management roles do share common ground, particularly in functions that require guiding teams and making strategic decisions, it’s essential to recognize the distinct qualities and responsibilities that define each role. This distinction highlights that leadership and management are not merely different terms for the same role but represent complementary skill sets. The main differences between the two can be demonstrated in the chart below:

What are leadership skills?

Leadership skills are the qualities that help individuals guide a group toward a common goal. Leadership is primarily about influence. Leaders are visionaries responsible for drawing out the organization’s mission and vision to inspire and motivate the workforce toward achieving excellence. They nurture an organizational culture that empowers teams. Despite popular belief that leadership is all about charismatic charm, charm alone does not make a leader. Leadership is a journey characterized by strategic foresight, meticulous planning, and a clear vision; it transcends the conventional boundaries of titles and hierarchical positions. Rather than being confined to an individual’s rank or personal ambitions, true leadership is about empowering the workforce with the autonomy to make their own decisions.

Top five leadership skills

For engineering leadership, the top five leadership skills to focus on are as follows: 

1. Vision

2. Influence

3. Empowerment 

4. Innovative abilities

5. Emotional intelligence

Vision

Effective leaders possess a distinct vision for the future, one that encompasses an inspiring and achievable goal for their organization. Defining a clear and strategic vision entails more than merely setting ambitious objectives. Leaders need to be adept at identifying software development trends and use this insight to guide their strategic planning and decision-making. A leader’s vision acts as a compass, guiding the team through the complexities of software development technologies toward achieving breakthrough innovations. 

For example, engineering leadership recognizes the transformative power of AI and machine learning in analyzing and responding to customer needs more efficiently. The leader then envisions the company at the forefront of creating AI-driven customer service solutions. To achieve this vision, the engineering leader takes charge of developing a strategic plan to integrate AI into the company’s customer service platforms. This involves setting precise, SMART goals, such as developing AI chatbots capable of understanding and resolving complex customer inquiries. The leader also focuses on building the team’s capabilities in AI, data analytics, and natural language processing so that they have the skills needed to refine the AI solutions continuously.

Influence

Leaders excel in their ability to influence others by earning trust and respect. They embody the vision they wish to achieve, demonstrating through action what it means to be fully committed to a cause. For instance, a leader is steering their team through the adoption of blockchain technology for security. They don’t simply issue orders. Instead, they engage with the team, share their vision of how this change can lead to better outcomes, and actively listen to concerns and suggestions. Leaders who inspire rather than command, cultivate a sense of ownership among their team and promote effective team dynamics. They create an environment where individuals are motivated to contribute their best, driven by a sense of purpose and belief in the collective vision. In essence, inspirational leaders are architects of a positive and forward-thinking culture, and influence serves as an important skill in the toolkit of an effective engineering leader. It is through the influence that a leader can build trust and respect, which are crucial for overcoming challenges and driving innovation.

Empowerment 

Empowerment stands as a key leadership skill, especially for those leading engineering teams. Effective leadership involves empowering team members through recognizing their unique strengths and providing them with the autonomy to make decisions. Consider a leader who encourages their team to take ownership of their work, providing the resources, support, and trust needed to innovate and experiment. Such a leader creates a supportive backdrop where they feel confident to take risks, knowing they have their leader’s backing. This environment propels the team toward achieving remarkable outcomes. These leaders not only elevate the individual performance of team members but also contribute to the collective success of the team. 

Innovative abilities

Leaders play a pivotal role in cultivating an environment where innovationand creative thinking are foundational to the team’s approach to challenges and objectives. For engineering leaders guiding tech teams, innovative abilities pave the way for breakthroughs in the tech industry. Leaders should emphasize the importance of thinking outside the box by creating opportunities for the team to experiment, learn from failures, and celebrate successes. It is important to note that innovation is a team effort where diverse thoughts and perspectives can merge to create something truly groundbreaking. An innovative mindset becomes an invaluable asset for tech teams as they navigate complexities and explore new possibilities without any fears hindering their progress.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a foundational skill for effective leadership. This skill encompasses the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as to empathize with and influence the emotions of team members. Leaders who practice empathy are able to forge deep connections with their team members. For example, an engineering leader with high emotional intelligence can sense when team members are frustrated over bugs in a code and then take steps to address this issue by adjusting deadlines or offering the right support. When leaders demonstrate a genuine understanding and concern for their team’s experiences and challenges, team members feel empowered to share ideas and take on challenges; this approach directly impacts team cohesion and effectiveness. 

What are management skills?

Management skills are a combination of competencies that individuals possess to effectively guide, oversee, and enhance the performance of projects, tasks, and teams. While there are numerous managerial styles, management is all about structure and discipline. Managers focus on planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve specific objectives. They play a critical role in aligning team efforts with the strategic objectives of the company so that operational efficiency is guaranteed.

Top five management skills

For engineering leadership, the top five management skills are as follows:

1. Organization

2. Delegation

3. Conflict resolution

4. Analytical abilities

5. Performance management

Organization

Effective engineering managers stand out through their exceptional organizational skills. They have a knack for setting up company procedures, tracking progress, and sorting priorities for their tech teams to achieve key milestones. It is important to note that being organized involves planning and allocating resources in the most effective way possible to hit the organization’s targets. A well-organized manager ensures that tasks, workflows, and resources are all aligned, making the journey toward achieving deliverables as smooth and efficient as possible. This level of organization helps minimize confusion and streamlines the process, which directly optimizes the team’s workflow and productivity. Without this level of organization, managing a team can become challenging. 

Delegation

For tech teams, where the pace is fast and the projects are complex, having an engineering manager who excels in assigning tasks and responsibilities to their team members aligned with each individual’s technical skills and strengths is an asset. The art of delegation involves strategically distributing the workload, ensuring that projects progress efficiently without overwhelming any single team member. For example, when working on a new web application, a manager delegates the task of designing the app’s interface to one team member who’s great at graphics and user experience, while another team member, who’s an expert in coding, gets the job of developing the back-end systems. In this manner, managers don't dump tasks on their teams which can lead to burnout, rather they match the work to their strengths and interests. Many managers may take the help of tools such as a Time Management Matrix so that tasks of high priority are delegated first. Essentially, effective delegation is about trusting your team and helping everyone work together toward a common goal.

Conflict resolution

Managers play a pivotal role in ensuring a harmonious work environment. One crucial skill to achieve this is being adept at managing conflicts. Tech teams are a culmination of diverse talents and personalities, often leading to clashes of ideas and working styles. The dynamic nature of technology projects, with their tight deadlines and high stakes, can exacerbate tensions, making conflict management essential. In this setting, effective managers know how to navigate these disagreements constructively. These managers understand that the goal is not to avoid conflict entirely but to promote respect among team members. Managers need to identify the root cause of the conflict, facilitate open communication between the parties involved, and guide them toward a resolution that respects everyone's perspectives. In this manner, managers help maintain team cohesion and prevent disruptions to productivity.

Analytical abilities

When managing tech teams, managers who possess the ability to swiftly identify and dissect issues stand out as adept problem solvers. This skill encompasses the capacity to understand the broader context of a challenge, identify the underlying issues, and evaluate the potential impact of different solutions. By performing root cause analysis, engineering managers can implement strategies that address problems at their core, preventing recurrence and promoting a smooth operational flow. For example, if the dev team is facing persistent delays in their release schedule, a manager must dig deeper to uncover the root causes instead of just attributing these delays to the developers not working efficiently. The manager might discover that the real issue is a recurring bottleneck in the quality assurance process due to the QA team’s lack of the necessary tools to test new features quickly enough, creating a backlog of untested code. To address the problem, the manager might suggest investing in automated testing tools to speed up the QA process.

Performance management

Another fundamental skill for managers overseeing engineering teams is managing employee performance. Engineering managers must set clear goals, track metrics and deadlines, and provide feedback so that tech teams excel in their roles. For example, a manager might track progress through weekly meetings and use project management software such as DevPath to monitor dev teams’ tasks and deadlines. The manager might also conduct regular one-on-one check-ins with each team member to discuss any obstacles they might be facing, adjust workload or deadlines, and even offer constructive criticism. When managers follow proactive performance management strategies, tech teams achieve deliverables that exceed expectations.

Final word

Organizations need to harness the full potential of their workforce. A leader thrives on influencing people to rally behind them on trust and inspiration, irrespective of their official position, whereas managers possess formal authority within an organization's structure, compelling team members to adhere to directives largely due to hierarchical dynamics. This collaborative dynamic is vital for propelling the organization toward achieving strategic alignment and operational excellence.