I don't agree. You should only do things that benefit the team if they are done out of a true sense of cameraderie, and pure desire to empathize and solve probl

I don't agree. You should only do things that benefit the team if they are done out of a true sense of cameraderie, and pure desire to empathize and solve problems? Not everyone has natural empathy, and people who don't have it learning how to do it in a way that benefits them and the people around them is positive. Re:'It sounds like a con artist', the techniques for getting people to trust and like you are often the same whether your intent is good or bad. I don't think these techniques should be reserved for people who have an innate wellspring of curiosity and cooperation. This person is trying to earn credibility, and is specifically focused on the 'new' phase of being on a team, when you do not have a big pile of meaningful tasks yet and your primary goal is getting the lay of the land and establishing good relationships with your teammates. Finally, > Feelings are not something one goes around creating unless they are actively manipulating people around. I don't really understand what this means. I create feelings all the time, intentionally and unintentionally. I often do things where the primary purpose is to make somebody feel good, usually things like 'make some effort to solve a problem that I don't think matters' or 'let somebody explain something to me that I already know about'. It's not about gaining power and status, it's about greasing social wheels and making friendly cooperation easier. Am I 'manipulating' people? Well, I am often trying to influence them so that they act in a way that I believe will benefit both of us. I do want to rise in my career, but I want to do it by making positive impacts and relationships, not by stepping on others. I don't think that's a bad thing.