[seanhandley]

It's definitely not about being friends - it's about being able to rely on each other.

You relationship with your manager is like your relationship with the company at large - it's a symbiosis, a contract, something that benefits both parties... until one day when it inevitably doesn't.

One day you will either leave the company or the company will leave you. Once the arrangement isn't mutually beneficial any more, the relationship is finished. There's nothing personal about that. In the meantime, you expect your manager to support and help you, set clear expectations, resolve disputes, etc and they expect you to meet the expectations of your role.