Ashley Nelson-Hornstein, an iOS developer for Dropbox, writes a good article covering four basic personality traits key to being an effective engineer. I especially like the first:
In my experience, empathy is one of the most overlooked qualities of an engineer - yet it’s my most valued. Empathetic engineers consider the impact their product will have on people. They realize that other humans will be using the software or hardware they create, so they make design decisions that take their humanity into account. They make the additional effort to safeguard privacy, and implement a product that is inclusive and accessible - because they’re able to put themselves in the perspective of other people.