5 Reasons Why Michael Scott Would Actually be the World’s Best Boss

It’s bold – or just silly – to call a man who drove his car into a lake because his GPS told him to a good leader. Michael Scott of Dunder Mifflin is far from perfect. He’s immature. He often doesn’t know where the line is. Sometimes he’s racist.

The thing is, though, sometimes his blunders make his better moments all the more poignant, like when he’s being sweet with Holly or he told Jim to never give up on love. He can be difficult, but most of the time his heart is in the right place.

Here are five reasons why having Michael as a boss might not be all that bad.

1. He genuinely cares. Michael wants to be friends (unless you’re Toby, in which case, stay clear of Michael in the workplace). He says it himself: I am a friend first and a boss second. Probably an entertainer third.

Most of the time, Michael has his employees’ best interests at heart, even though he may end up being a bit misguided. He created an awards ceremony to make everyone feel appreciated. He’s excited when big things happen to his employees – remember when he knocked Jim over in excitement upon hearing about his engagement to Pam? And he supports the people in his life, like when he bought Pam’s painting of the office.

2. He’s fun. With Michael, you’d never get stuck in that mindless 9-5 grind – something would always be happening. His tsunami FUNraiser may not have been practical, but it was probably memorable. Likewise, organizing a day of games at the beach wasn’t the most conventional way to choose a successor, but it beat sitting around the office.

3. He teaches you patience. Having to deal with Michael prepared Jim and Pam for parenthood. Occasionally, he is not unlike a toddler and requires care, like the time he burnt his foot on his George Foreman grill. After dealing with things like this on multiple occasions, the needs of actual children likely seem much less daunting.

4. You’ll have job security. Throughout the series, there are talks of Dunder Mifflin downsizing. The company goes through some rough times, but Scranton remains ok; at one point, it had one of the highest branch performances.

5. He’ll give you a great recommendation. Michael looks out for his employees. He even hired Ryan back after his huge scandal. He wrote Dwight a lovely letter of recommendation:

The dictionary defines superlative as: of the highest kind, quality, or order, surpassing all else, or others. Supreme. I define it as Dwight Schrute. As a sales executive, as a leader, as a man, and as a friend, he is of the highest kind, quality, and order. Supreme.

I often cringed at Michael while watching The Office, but there were also instances when I was proud of the character he had become. Early on in the series, Kevin got news that he might have skin cancer on Michael’s birthday. Michael was upset because it took away from his big day. I like to compare this to Michael’s final episode, when he shared a moment with each person in the office and then quietly left a day early, not making it about himself. Having Michael as a boss would be learning about yourself as he learns about himself, side by side.

Working with Michael Scott would be a wild ride, but it would definitely be memorable.