A highly skilled techie (not just a DBA) with bad people skills will have to be excellent technically to keep their job despite their unsociability. As a result, they'll be able to deliver in an emergency. And that's what, generalising, will happen; they'll be turned to as a last resort.

Same applies from the opposite end with a poor techie with great people skills. They'll be easy to talk to, but will quickly gain a reputation for not being able to deliver. Net result, they'll be a last resort.

Now let's strip away the polarisation. A techie needs to be good enough technically to fulfil the requests made of them. However, there is no "good enough" with people skills; the better they are, the more people will respect and make use of them. Skills can be learned, but attitude cannot. You obviously need a base level on both sides, but once that's met I'd far rather there was a surfeit of people skills than of technical brilliance. After all, people have to come to you before you have some work to do.