I concur. They can be dangerous because of a perception of favoritism.

However, to continue the discussion on the value of personal relationships, I want to point out two benefits:

1. Having a personal relationship builds trust, which is a pivotal aspect of mission command.

2. Personal relationships are required to understand intangibles that our “reports” struggle to capture. How does said person get along with others? What kinds of teams do they perform the best in? These two questions help us to optimize talent in our organizations.