When I started out in software development, my biggest concern was my lack of technical ability. Each annual review I flagged technical proficiency as an area of improvement.
After about 5 years and a few projects, I was put on an assignment with absurd deadlines on a different technology stack. This forced me to talk to people more about what I was doing. This was a gestalt moment for me, as it forced me to see software development in a new light.
Raw technical proficiency has its place, and some jobs require it - 3D engine programmers, for example. But for the enterprise work I do, soft skills matter.
The ability to negotiate matters because ideas are seldom unambiguous. It also matters in navigating what can be achieved in the face of unrealistic expectations.
The ability to foster trust matters because it's essential for team cohesion and fostering working relations.
Being able to effectively communicate matters because if we can't express ourselves to others, then we can't get our ideas across.
Being able to listen matters because others need to be able to get their ideas across to us.
And being able to put all that together matters because effective collaboration requires all those skills. A developer who can collaborate is in a far better position than one where those skills are lacking.
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