No, you're short-sighted. You don't have to be friends with any of these people. You can be generous and helpful to anyone, people above and below you (or even

No, you're short-sighted. You don't have to be friends with any of these people. You can be generous and helpful to anyone, people above and below you (or even people you don't work with!), it has nothing to do with "being friends." And if you are under 40 (probably under 60), yes, some of your coworkers will advance to positions of power. Nothing to do with luck, it's just numbers. But you can certainly increase your own opportunities by directing your helpfulness, generosity and competency towards as many people as possible.