This is because we usually confuse confidence with competence.
Yup.
What I am saying is that in general someone with great people skills but average IQ will probably do much better than someone with a high IQ but really low people skills.
I was kind of talking about this with a colleague the other day, where being a jack of all trades is part of the survival for most in the working world now, where as before it was much more about narrow skills. Domain affects this still, but in general, those with people skills will be heard and listened to more often than those without. If those with the skills also have or can get the right knowledge, they can be very productive.
That is true. I mean, this is pretty normal after all considering we are social creatures. We tend to listen more to the people we like.
Sure, that means that someone can occupy a certain position without having the skills needed just because he is likeable. He then can go and fuck things up really due to him not knowing what the hell he is doing but hey...the world ain't perfect.
Yes a person can, based on the power other people assign them. We can blame him for being a dick or whatever, but we are also the ones that put them there through our own action or inaction.