Sounds like a good friend! I too have had generally good results from making friends of my managers. Ideally, my friends are going to push me in the same way t

Sounds like a good friend! I too have had generally good results from making friends of my managers. Ideally, my friends are going to push me in the same way that a manager would anyway. I don’t want to stay stagnant in my ideas or performance. There are limits of course, but generally I trend towards progress and self betterment. I had a rough patch at work last year that ultimately culminated in a sit down with my manager. We talked about what was contributing to my performance and the expectations moving forward. It wasn’t bitter or angry, there was no yelling or screaming, just an honest conversation and an acknowledgment of reality. Hopefully I have the opportunity to pay it back over the coming years. (Not to mention that office politics is part of the game. You can refuse to play but you can’t be surprised when you miss out on the spoils…)