It sounds like some in this thread are saying soft skills aren't important. I always thought they were part of doing my job correctly, in addition to extremely high technical skills. I also expect anyone I hire to have these other qualities. (as well as extremely high technical skills) I also believe that non-technical employees that have good soft skills and use technology as part of their job (like a call center or data entry) need to stay up to speed with new technology. If they say "I'm computer illiterate" they don't belong. They need to be re-trained if they are required to use a computer as part of their job. Their "good soft skills" will enable them to see the importance of the new training.

My boss is admittedly technically incompetent, (he's really not) but he's not I.T. That's my job and my department's job. After looking at this list, I feel that my company is on the top end of the game. I believe that soft skills should be a huge part of any highly valued I.T. employee. A person with these skills would also be compensated more because of it. Follow this link for an article at Techrepublic regarding this: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/when-should-you-stop-valued-employees-from-walking-out-the-door/5025750?tag=content;siu-container

The overseas outsource companies have the ability to do technical jobs, but how much better is it to employ a highly motivated local person that cares enough about his/her position (or your company) to possess these skills and be an ambassador for you?

Those that believe that soft qualities have little value would benefit by seeing it in action. I think it's just good ol' fashioned work ethic.