> Being successful is not about being smart or competent.

An interesting perspective, but I suspect that you're using "likeability" as a cynical proxy for how well a person works in a team.

A person with an exceptional personality that motivates their entire team to work harder is likely infinitely more valuable to the employer than a more individualistic employee that might be exceptional when compared to any individual employee but still severely underperforms compared to a motivated team. Should the employer be compelled to pick the later just because they are smarter and more competent?