One of the most iconic shows in television history, The Office first aired in 2005 and is still widely used almost 20 years later. Everyone fell in love and stayed on the show for nine seasons because of the flawed but lovable manager Michael Scott and his many mishaps while running Dunder Mifflin, a paper company.

Michael Scott did more than entertain us. If you look closely, you can also learn valuable lessons from your leadership style. Unfortunately, Michael never got around to finishing his book Somehow I Can Do It, but we did the hard work for him and below are ten business lessons you can learn from Michael Scott at The Office.

Value your employees

If there’s one thing Michael Scott was exceptionally good at, it’s the time and effort planning dinners, events, and parties for his team. He even had his annual Dundie’s Awards where he gave prizes for the weirdest and funniest categories (whitest shoes, smellyest in the bathroom, etc.).

Although his behavior was viewed by some (Toby in particular) as a bit over the top and rude, his heart was in the right place and it was clear to see how much he valued and appreciated his team.

You don’t have to go as far as hosting your own Dundie ceremony, but having a nice gift here or there, or even recognizing your employees’ accomplishments, is a great way to show them how much you value their hard work in the office.

Holidays are worth celebrating

Everyone loves the holidays and celebrating holidays, big or small. Your employees shouldn’t want to be finished with work to feel the festive mood. Michael Scott always took a lot of vacation and made sure everyone felt included, whether it be Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

He also made sure everyone remembered the birthday and gave them their favorite cake. Take advantage of this principle in your office and make a festive celebration a great way to bring all of the departments in your company together, especially if it is a large office.

HR is important

Have you ever noticed that Michael never really had a problem with HR, more precisely with Toby? Human resources are an integral part of any company and have the crucial role of having important conversations without making them boring.

However, Toby always managed to put everyone to sleep with his monotonous lectures, which is why Michael took meaningful discussions like diversity and sexual harassment into his own hands to ensure that the topic was treated correctly.

Make sure the topic that needs to be communicated to the team is done in a fun, yet informative way that your employees can understand and remember.

It’s easy to lose track of time

If we learn from the things Michael got right, we can definitely learn a thing or two from what Michael Scott did wrong. He was terrible at time management and could get lost on the internet for hours watching YouTube videos or falling victim to email fraud.

This applies to everyone, from interns to senior management, and we should all be able to check ourselves from time to time that we are on the right track with our work.

Strive to be the “best boss in the world”

Michael Scott firmly believed that he was actually the best boss in the world. So much so that he got himself the infamous mug to prove it. His “friend first, boss first, then probably an entertainer” made him a great manager at the end of the day.

He was super approachable and none of the Dundee Mifflin staff hesitated a minute before reaching out to him with their problems. However, he also knew where to draw the line and did not tolerate disrespect in the name of friendliness.

Understanding that you can be friendly with your subordinates and remain their boss is key to being a good manager.

Michael was a person of the people

There have been many times Michael has exceeded his limits but never in business. When it came to sales, he was always personable without being overly intrusive. You can see it in many episodes, such as the Chili’s Meeting, where his friendly approach to cold selling worked better than Jan’s formal approach.

While Jan wanted to get straight into the business, Michael also tried to make small talk, build a relationship and make each other nice to the customer, which made all the difference at the end of the day.

Perseverance is the key

Another secret of Michael Scott’s success was persistence in all of his dealings. He made sure he took the extra step of closing the sale. That is an essential principle in business. That way, even if a business goes wrong, you can always go to bed knowing that you have done everything in your power and the rest was out of your control.

When Michael opened his Michael Scott Paper Company, stole all of Dunder Mifflin’s clients, and scared them into offering them a buyout, he stood firm, making sure he settled for nothing less than getting their jobs plus benefits back.

Never be beyond learning

Always trying to keep up with new trends, Michael let his right-hand man Dwight help him do the right research and let him know of what’s new in the market. Besides, he was never ashamed to admit that he didn’t know anything; Do you remember when he asked Oscar to explain the excess to him like he was five?

From this you learn that you don’t have to be the best at everything and that each of your employees can teach you something new. You just have to be willing to learn.

customer is king

Customer service is everything when it comes to running a business successfully, and Michael has lived that principle all his life as a manager. Michael was constantly jotting down things to keep in mind about his customers to bring them up at their next meeting to make them feel important.

He also always made sure to check out her family and make small talk with all of his clients. He treated them primarily as people and as a secondary business.

Knowing and understanding your customers and making the business work well for them is also important. Like when Phyllis and Karen redesigned before meeting their clients. Of course, you don’t have to do anything that extreme, but it’s important to make the customer feel like they are your top priority when you do business with them.

Be confident

One of the most famous quotes from the show was, “And I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.”

There have been countless moments in The Office where Michael had to make important decisions alone, whether it be hiring, firing, cutting budgets, or granting bonuses. There were times when he panicked and didn’t know what he was doing.

However, he never showed his fear and always presented himself as someone who knew exactly what he was doing. That’s because when an office realizes that their manager is panicking and out of control, they also worry about what is affecting their work.

You are your boss and more qualified for the job than you think for a reason. Trust yourself and your skills and make the best decisions for your company.

Be the best boss in the world

What made Michael Scott such a great manager was that he was an average person, just like anyone else. He never considered himself superhuman and was never afraid to admit his mistakes and learn from them. Being a good leader means constantly being open to new ideas and discovering new ways to improve your company and your employees.

We hope you enjoyed these little leadership lessons from Michael Scott and that you have found ways to incorporate them into your leadership style.

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