The Office's Michael Scott was the show's irritating manager for 7 seasons, but what if he was really a great boss? Michael's favorite mug proudly proclaimed him "World's Best Boss," in stark contrast to some of his antics. However, when one examines the business running in the show's background, it's clear that this was actually a very successful branch. Is it possible that Michael was the reason for that?
The revamp of the original BBC series ran on NBC for nearly a decade but found a second life on Netflix and Peacock. The show's rediscovery by streamers spawned a flurry of memes from The Office, including Michael's "It's happening!" line. The mockumentary focused on the hilarious antics and personal lives of several employees in a small paper company called Dunder Mifflin. At the center of the pranks, awkward moments, and general hilarity was boss Michael Scott.
Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, was often seen as a terrible boss because of his insane and unprofessional antics; however, closer examination shows that he was a great boss. Throughout the series, it was made clear how poorly Dunder Mifflin is doing. They faced a recession, slowing demand for paper, branches closing, and later in the series, bankruptcy, and acquisition by another company. In The Office season 6, episode 13, "Secret Santa," David Wallace remarked, "You guys are the only thing about this company that works." It turned out Michael's unique leadership methods, and sales techniques branch paid off within an otherwise failing company.
Some wonder how Michael Scott became manager at Dunder Mifflin, but it's no mystery looking at his sales record. Michael had some insane schemes and plans, from the racist role play in season 1, episode 2 "Diversity Day" to board games to boost morale in season 6, episode 10 "Murder," but he almost always closed his sales. In The Office season 2, episode 7, "The Client," the audience saw his talent firsthand. Michael started awkwardly cutting off Jan when things got tense and singing advertisement jingles, but in the end, he correctly sized up the client and managed to close a major deal for the company. He also kept meticulous notes on all his clients, revealing in season 5, episode 22, "Heavy Competition," "I color code all my info ... Green means go. So I know to go ahead and shut up about it." Michael's techniques as a salesman were unusual, but he made a great mentor for his workers.
The Office's Michael Scott was a secret genius at management because he cared about his workers. During The Office series finale, Michael said, "I feel like all my kids grew up and married each other. It's every parent's dream." Michael didn't always choose the right words, but his intent was genuine. He trusted and believed in his employees, often hiring people who didn't have experience because he had a gut feeling about them. Very few staff were fired in The Office, and fewer from the Scranton branch. Michael's people were trained so well that when he left in season 7, by episode 23, "Acting Manager Dwight Schrute," there was no manager. Jim commented, "People just come in and do their work on their schedule. Imagine that. People like us, allowed to sell paper. Unsupervised." Some might see this as Michael being redundant, but perhaps he trained his employees so well that they didn't need managing at all.
The Office's Michael Scott may have been an unorthodox manager, but as his mug proclaimed, he was a great boss. His workers were not only competent but successful in the face of adversity. As a role model, Michael took the approach that a great boss was always someone who makes themselves redundant, and the methodology ended up working out.