Delivering value as an entry level software development position requires some soft skills, but it's probably mostly determined by skill/mastery over technical

Delivering value as an entry level software development position requires some soft skills, but it's probably mostly determined by skill/mastery over technical subjects. As one advances, particularly at larger or more bureaucratic organizations, soft skills become more important. Being "most trusted" for instance, is of significant value. It suggests that one has built a reputation and delivered on his or her promises over a period of time and thus, can be trusted to lead a difficult or ambitious project. These things you mentioned, being important, influential, needed, or trusted, are all proxies for providing value over an extended period of time while maintaining good relations with peers. This is a good thing to select for when promoting up a hierarchy in a large human endeavor. Of course we all know cases where people get promoted because of their social clique for whom this isn't true, but it's not crazy to not just focus on mastery of hard skills.