Top 10 Lessons in Management from the World’s Best Boss
Successful managers come in all kinds, none more memorable than Michael Scott
Have you ever felt that the world is full of management advice these days, so much so that it’s too difficult to separate the signal from all the noise? I was in this exact situation, a few years back, when I was interested in a management career and was considering pursuing an MBA. That’s when I causally stumbled upon The Office sitcom and its protagonist Michael Scott, who’s regarded to be the (self-proclaimed) World’s Best Boss (Don’t believe me? Guess what? He bought the mug in the above image for himself!). Though his employees don’t think he’s qualified for the job and consider him as a distraction most of the time (both true), we still have a lot to learn from Michael because his management style is quite unconventional and the performance that his team is able to deliver under his leadership is phenomenal. Surprised? So was I and hence I set out to learn some management lessons from the master, none other than the world’s best boss himself?
The Office (U.S.)
The Office, which premiered on NBC between 2005 and 2013 and now available on major OTT platforms (in case you plan to binge watch it!), is one of the most famous American TV sitcoms of our times. The show earned the honor of being the most watched acquired show on Netflix during the initial weeks of The Great Lockdown of 2020. It’s filmed as a mockumentary, wherein the camera crew follows around the employees of a small paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania and its eccentric regional manager, Michael Scott. In a mockumentary, the characters break the 4th wall often to stare directly into the camera and talk to its viewers, and Michael Scott takes this opportunity to teach us some of the most profound management principles that makes him the success that he is.
The top 10 management lessons
Of course, there are innumerable lessons across the 9 seasons and over 200 episodes. In this article, I have complied the top 10 lessons in management and classic Michael Scott quotes. So just sit back, relax and learn from the World’s Best Boss.
1. A true boss loves hiring people, not firing them (S01E04 — The Alliance)
It looks like there’s gonna be downsizing. And it’s part of my job, but… blah! I hate it. I think the main difference between me, and Donald Trump is that, uh, I get no pleasure out of saying the words, “You’re fired”. It just makes people sad, and an office can’t function that way. If i had a catchphrase it would be, “You’re hired, and you can work here as long as you want”.
2. Motivate your employees even if you must fake it (S02E06 — The Fight)
I told Dwight that there is honor in losing. Which, as we all know, is completely ridiculous, but there is, however, honor in making a loser feel better which is what I just did for Dwight.
3. Treat all employees equally (S02E15 — Boys & Girls)
All right. Troops. This is an important day. Big day. Now you may look around and see two groups here. White collar. Blue collar. But I don’t see it that way. And you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.
4. Take a break from being the boss all the time (S02E11 — The Booze Cruise)
Sometimes you have to take a break from being the kind of boss that’s always trying to teach people things. Sometimes you have to just be the boss of dancing.
5. Be passionate about your job, don’t just work for the weekend (S07E22 — Goodbye, Michael)
They say on your deathbed, you never wish you spent more time at the office. But I will. Gotta be a lot better than a deathbed.
6. Business is all about human connections (S04E02 — Dunder Miffin Infinity)
Everybody likes new inventions, new technology. But people will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business are about human connections. And to me the choice is easy.
7. A Boss doesn’t always need to have everything figured out, it’s okay to ask for help (S05E15 — Stress Relief)
And I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.
8. Practical learning far outweighs classroom teaching (S03E16 — Business School)
You cannot learn from books. Replace these pages with life lessons, and then, you will have… a book… that is worth its weight in gold.
9. A good boss is an embodiment of self-confidence (S02E22 — Casino Night)
Yeah, whatever. Hey, you know what? If luck weren’t involved, I would always be winning.
10. A real boss truly cares for his employees (S02E01 — The Dundies)
Tonight is the Dundies, the annual employee awards night here at Dunder Mifflin. And it’s everybody’s favorite day. A lot of the people here don’t get trophies very often. So, you know, an employee will go home, and he’ll tell his neighbor, “Hey, did you get an award?” And the neighbor will say, “No man. I mean, I slave all day and nobody notices me”.
