Somehow, I Manage: Examining the management style of Michael G. Scott

While Michael's response appears to be a random collection of phrases and he himself admits he didn't know where he was going with his train of thought, there is some wisdom to be found in his long-winded and repetitive philosophy, especially when put into the context of the rest of the show.

Perhaps it could have been phrased a bit more eloquently, but if we boil it down and study Michael Scott during the day to day at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, we begin to notice a style: simplicity and minimalism.

"Don't ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone for any reason ever...."

While some may disagree, I've noticed that Michael seems to essentially leave his employees alone, trusting them to do their jobs.

Obviously this isn't entirely true, as we do see Michael conduct meetings, call employees to his office, make conference calls, etc., but generally we don't see Michael "micromanaging", he has actually stated he doesn't like to be micromanaged.

Of course, doing nothing and not caring at all doesn't work when it comes to leadership.

Michael's management style isn't perfect and obviously doesn't work for everyone. He has been called out (many many times) for his nonsensical and distracting theatrics.

But if we know Michael Scott at all, we know he is not uncaring, and when it comes down to the wire he pulls through (did I stutter?

As with everything in life, there is a balance to management.

One of my previous employers bordered on extreme micromanagement. She scheduled everything. Literally everything. There is definitely such a thing as over-involvement in your employees work.

Another of my managers leaned more to the other extreme, whose lack of involvement allowed drama and incompetence to grow.

The sweet spot is somewhere in between: structure is necessary in the workplace, but so is freedom. A manager must be available to their employees, not too involved and not too distant.

Pobody's nerfect.

Experience in management and sales helped Michael Scott find the balance between minimalist and micromanagement, even if he didn't know how to express his own philosophy.

He trusted his team to do the work. He thrived under lack of supervision, and his branch did too.

A little humor helps too!