From my personal experience (12 years in the corporate world), I do agree that we shall not confuse friends with business relationships. However, I respectfully disagree with the statement above. It may be true in the cut-throat or toxic working environment where people feel insecure. However, a supportive working environment where people want to see you win does exist. We need to learn to read the environment and company’s culture and evaluate if it is a place we can thrive. Energy spends on watching our back is energy wasted. Finding or creating the environment where we can grow and blossom is a good strategy to follow.