[rleigh]

I see a lot of myself in these traits; I don't have the best interpersonal skills. While I don't enjoy confrontation for its own sake, I do enjoy robust debate with my peers so long as it serves a purpose.

However, that in no way precluded me being a consummate professional on support calls. Being nice and polite to your customers isn't difficult, though it can require a bit of patience if they are slow or make mistakes as you talk them through stuff. Or biting your tongue if they are rude or nasty; that's generally due to the frustration the software you wrote caused them. Show them some sympathy! I can't say that I particularly liked doing support calls, but I think pretty much anyone can play the role and do a decent job if they can use some basic common sense when talking to the person at the other end of the phone and keep their cool in the face of an angry caller. If a developer can't handle a routine telephone call in a civilised and respectful manner, I'm not sure I'd want them on my team.