Sentence:  <WSD>Befriending</WSD> one of the 112 managing directors was not enough; you had to <WSD>befriend</WSD> a managing director with clout. There was one small problem, of course. Bosses were not always eager to <WSD>befriend</WSD> trainees. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To become a friend of, to make friends with.