If you don’t have technical experience and are hired to be the leader of a strong technical team you can win their respect by acknowledging your lack of technical skill. You were hired for the leadership skills you possess and you’ll need them more than ever when it comes to working with the strong technical type. Here are seven pieces of advice I have used in these situations. Good luck.

First – work at partnering with them – not leading them. The technical type, especially those with strong skill tend not to like the traditional operational managers. Be as transparent as possible and work as a team to reach your departments goals.

Second - this is vitally important; set well-defined, clear, result-specific expectations; expectations that aren’t confusing and can be clearly measured

Third – be a results oriented manager – not a micro manager. Let them have flexible schedules as long as weekly / monthly / project goals are met.

Fourth – never let poor performance or insubordination go unaddressed; address it swiftly and appropriately; this will do a lot for gaining respect from the rest of the team.

Fifth – get to know each team member individually; every one has different needs as far as recognition and the need for direct supervision. You have those that want kudos for everything and then there are those that would prefer quiet recognition; there are those that want their month laid out in a project plan and then left alone and then there are those that need daily or weekly guidance.

Sixth – if you make a mistake own and address it quickly; you’re human and your team knows it. They will respect you more if you can show them from time to time.

Seventh – find out what each team member likes as far as rewards; time off, money, public recognition or recognition in front of executive team, etc. And be sure to recognize regularly when it is warranted.

Also, in addition to the 7 points, you as a non-technical manager can give your team a business perspective; as in, sit with individual team members and understand (& then explain) how the particular piece handled by the individual is fitting the larger scheme of things.

Mostly, what the technical guys lack is the business understanding & when you give them the business sense, they would know why exactly you have been appointed for the post!!

If you ask most people if they are leaders, they would probably say, yes. However, many people believe they are leaders, but in reality, they are living in a fantasy world.

Below are 4 steps to help the want to-be leader gain leadership skills.

1- Recruit Knowledgeable People.

Are you threatened by people that are more knowledgeable than you are? Well - a leader realizes that others with a wider information base are assets rather than liabilities. So- although leaders have to make the final decisions and manage others, a true leader realizes that there are numerous ways to solve a single problem. Therefore, a leader listens to others, rather than have the attitude, "it is my way or no way." In sum, a leader realizes that independent thinking is healthy so long as the person is committed to the organization's goals.

2- Identify With Others and Help People.

Are you interested in employees' personal growth? Maybe - you are only interested if you personally benefit. Well- leaders are interested in their employees' personal lives and long-term goals. A leader knows that knowing what people are interested in is essential to leading them. Consequently, efforts are taken to know each person individually. Moreover, a leader makes it a point to listen and make employees feel as if their views are important.

3- Guide the Company.

Are you interested in only the daily operation of the company? Well-a leader is visionary, looking beyond the actions of today to the effects on the future. Leading a company into a new dimension is enthusiastically embraced as an exciting challenge. Enthusiasm, commitment to the long-term vision, and a willingness to sacrifice if needed, are all exemplified within leaders. Likewise, a good leader motivates employees, even when completing simple repetitive tasks.

4- Understand the Importance of Integrity.

Do you have integrity when you feel like it? In other words, are you like a thief in the night, trying to get away with all you can? Well - a leader should have integrity. Integrity should be maintained in a leader's public and private life because a leader's behavior sets the tone for acceptable and unacceptable behavior within the organization. Now- do you still want to be a leader?...

There's a saying : "You don't need to be a sheep in order to be a shepherd"

1st, I agree with all the replies and tips you got so far.
I think that if you ask that question you obvisouly did not find your place in that company yet. why did they hire you ? what benefits are you adding ? If you can answer those - you can start manage instead of thinking how to manage.

I have well-over 30 years developing highly technical software, and I have addressed this question multiple times in the past. It was first discussed by my boss who had a Phd. in digital signal processing with regard to a project that failed.

Non-technical people should not directly lead technical people. By definition, you are not qualified to make the technical decisions that are necessary, and a leader who delegates the decision-making processes to others is not a leader at all. Hire someone who can tell you the score, otherwise you will likely fail. Engineers compete, and you must be able to encourage team behavior while rewarding technical excellence. And, at the same time, taking reasonable risks must be rewarded. At the end of the day, you are not qualified to judge who performed well, and who did not, and the future of the company depends on keeping the best people. Hire someone to manage the group, and you manage them.

I've seen non-technical managers fail again and again for the reasons I mentioned above. They either drove the good developers away, or their projects failed because they listened to the wrong people.