> The skills that matter are the same ones that make someone a good manager of people.

I disagree. Part of being a good manager of (junior) people is teaching them soft skills in addition to technical skills -- how to ask for help and do their own research, and how to build their own skills autonomously, how to think about requirements creatively, etc.

Clear specifications and validating output is only a part of good people management, but is 100% of good agent management.