Something I don't get
is the attitude of some that possessing these skills automatically means you don't any technical ones, or that strengthening them weakens technical skills. The two skill sets aren't mutually exclusive.
I stink at most of these besides communications and teamwork. I've never had to manage a project, probably because the others soft skills I lack render me unsuitable for consideration. Many of them are skills I could probably acquire but find unpleasant or distasteful - vendor negotiations, political manipulation, personal networking. Maybe I would have a better attitude toward them if I knew better how to perform them, but my dislike of them may also be why I'm in a technical field in the first place.
