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5 TV Characters That Would’ve Made a Better Manager Than The Office’s Michael Scott

Michael has the heart, but selling paper is about more than that.

Steve Carell as Michael Scott hold a Best Boss mug in The Office
Image courtesy of NBC.

There’s never a dull moment at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. One minute, Jim and Dwight will be having a prank war that causes serious damage, and the next, Creed will say something so off-putting that everyone does a double-take. However, the biggest troublemaker from The Office is Michael Scott, the Regional Manager. Despite being the boss, he finds ways to stop any and all attempts to be productive by constantly calling meetings or forcing everyone to go on a field trip. It feels like Michael does more harm than good, but then Dunder Mifflin CEO David Wallace shows up and commends the whole office for a job well done.

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Somehow, Michael gets his employees to be the best versions of themselves despite always putting his foot in his mouth. Just because Michael does his job well doesn’t mean that he’s the best fit, though. There are plenty of other TV characters who would have no problem leading the Scranton branch to success.

1) Leslie Knope

Leslie Knope smiling in Parks and Recreation

Like Michael, Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation cares deeply about her friends at work. She constantly finds ways to help them out, even when she has her own problems to deal with. Ann Perkins will be the only reference Leslie needs because she can vouch for her friend’s passion and go-to attitude.

As soon as she enters the Dunder Mifflin office, she will make quick friends with Pam and Kevin, whom she may see as her next Andy Dwyer. Even people like Dwight, who might have trouble respecting her, will change their tune once they realize how good a person she is and how much better the office runs with her in charge.

2) Ted Lasso

ted-lasso.jpg

It’s fair to assume that Ted Lasso doesn’t know much about selling paper. American football is his favorite subject, so he pours all of his time and effort into that until AFC Richmond comes calling. Despite being a foreigner who doesn’t even know the rules of football, he coaches the team to multiple winning seasons, proving that passion is more important than knowledge.

Ted’s best quality is that he always sees the best in everyone. When Ryan drops the ball on his next project or Andy fails to close a sale, he’s not going to lash out at them. Instead, Ted will show them how they can do better, which will be a breath of fresh air in a pretty toxic workplace.

3) Winston Bishop

Michael and Winston Bishop from New Girl have one major thing in common: they both love pranks. Winston is sometimes blissfully unaware of how far he takes his bits, which would be a quality that Michael respects. The similarities stop there, though, because Winston knows how to get serious when it matters most.

Being a former professional basketball player will help Winston gain the respect of Jim and Daryl, who are two important figures in The Office. With them in his corner, he can focus on getting everyone else on board with his vision for the office. Prank Sinatra is sure to make an appearance now and again, but it will only be after the hard work is done.

4) Ned Stark

Living in Westeros isn’t for the faint of heart. Ned Stark rules the North as a kind soul who doesn’t let anyone walk over him. However, taking a job in King’s Landing puts him in an early grave.

Fortunately for Ned, Dunder Mifflin doesn’t have its own version of Cersei. While Angela could cause some problems for him, she’s all about respect. As long as Ned focuses on the work, he’s sure to have his employees raise their pens for him.

5) Hank Schrader

There are few TV characters as serious as Breaking Bad‘s Hank Schrader. He busts the drug operations around Albuquerque, New Mexico, as an DEA agent. His work in the field won’t be what makes him a great manager, though.

Once Hank arrests the criminals, he must negotiate with them to get them to turn on their bosses. All that time behind the glass will give Hank the experience he needs to run a sales team. He can spend his days giving Pam and Andy tips so their next call goes smoother than their last.

The Office is streaming on Peacock.

Do you think the characters on this list would make better managers than Michael Scott? Who else deserves a chance to prove they have what it takes? Let us know in the comments below!