"Learn to keep people dependent on you"? Then you'll be able to keep them in the mud and your boots on their faces slightly higher in the mud - meanwhile, those who fostered independent allies, will be climbing the highest peaks.

Not incompatible. Strong allies will be independent of more people, but you still want them to depend on you. Dependence isn't necessarily coercion; it's hard to keep strong allies by threatening them (prolly why you equated strong and indepedent). Make them dependent by finding what they want and making sure only you can offer that - or better yet, make them want what you can offer in the first place.