Michael Scott from the NBC hit show “The Office” may be one of the worst, if not the worst, TV boss, yet we (and yes, mainly speaking for me) love him. His iconic mug “World’s Best Boss” is telling of him. Michael tries so hard to be liked by everyone as demonstrated in this phrase- “Do I need to be liked? Absolutely not. I like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. I have to be liked, but it’s not like this compulsive need to be liked, like my need to be praised.” Michael is constantly doing cringeworthy behaviors such as - making people feel super uncomfortable (like when he “welcomes” a new branch into the office), - wasting time (Pam even records his extreme wasting time at one point), and his lack of insight on pretty much everything - his very last line (SPOILER ALERT) demonstrates this lack of insight when he remarks - “I feel like all my kids grew up, and then they married each other. It's every parent's dream,” It’s the perfect ending phrase for him.

I may be wrong, but I think Michael may not have ever had any coaching. He has so many talents that are untapped and have never been explored to see how he could have moved them towards his strength zone. He really does try to be the best boss - the WORLD’S BEST BOSS. He worked hard to include people and in doing so this often became his greatest weakness. Michael had a major desire to be a part of the group. “I love inside jokes. I’d love to be a part of one someday.” You can feel the audience sigh deeply when this phrase is said by Michael. In a video from his childhood he expresses he wants to get married and have 100 children so he will have 100 friends who will have to like him. He desires to be included.

However, Michael really struggles with the HOW of being included. He often invites himself into what is happening, whether in the office or outside, he inserts himself (“that’s what she said”). He invites himself to Jim’s house to a party when he was obviously not wanted, he gets involved in conversations in the office that are specifically not his, he tries to be upfront and center of attention at various weddings often making a scene. Michael may be the absolute worst at making inappropriate comments regarding race, sex, religion, and generally all things diverse. Though he THINKS he is aware and in tune to these things, he very regularly makes it much worse in how he attempts to bring unity.

If we are to look at what he does RIGHT I would say he does have an open door policy and invites people into his office frequently. He does have some moments that bring the group together, like the Dundies, an award night where he works to bring the office together through an Oscar Award type of ceremony. The Dundies, while often still cringeworthy, brought the group together and I like to think that maybe it brought a deeper bond to that group. When asked to share about the company to the higher ups, he advocates for his people and highlights how amazing they are and they work they do. Perhaps his naivety is what makes him tolerable. I think his intention is good but he really needs to grow in his skills as a person and as a manager.

While Michael’s outrageous need to fit in and be included do make us grimace frequently, can you imagine what he could have done with a little coaching? Imagine what could have been if he was able to aim that talent of includer in a more productive way that could have helped give him that title of “World’s Best Boss”.

According to Gallup, “People exceptionally talented in the Includer theme accept others. They show awareness of those who feel left out and make an effort to include them.” I would venture to say that Michael Scott is high in Includer but has not harnessed the true strength of this talent theme. Let’s get him some coaching!

Are you high in Includer? Do you know someone who is? How do they use their talent as a superpower?