The transformation of Michael Scott from being an inappropriate disliked boss to being a supportive and a loved human being in the Office is amazing.
Michael Scott sets the perfect example that we definitely can transform ourselves at any age, however flawed your situation might be.
Michael went from being a lonely unhappy person to one of the most loved characters in the show.
Have you ever wondered what those reasons are which helped him to grow as a person?
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Reasons that helped Michael change from being disliked to Loved
Friendship and Support goes a long way
When we first met Michael, we instantly understood that Michael was a loner and had no real friends. He wanted friends but his usual behaviour kept people away.
In the show we get to see the roots of his behaviour and why he turned out to be a loner.
We see scenes of his childhood about his birthday and the puppet interview which gives us a glimpse into his lonely behaviour.
In an attempt to fix his loneliness, he often chose the wrong people to be around as a quick fix.
Being friends with Todd and dating Jan was a huge mistake, but still he did it to fill the void.
The turning point in his behaviour started with Pam and her kindness towards him.
We see many instances where Pam could have cared less, but she put up with him and also slowly encouraged him to become better each day.
Much like Pam, Jim also made a sincere effort to accommodate Michael.
The private party scene where Michael shows up without being invited and Jim being so okay and kind towards him are true examples that if a person is given kindness, however undeserving the person might be, something good will turn out.
Even though Pam and Jim's kindness were born out of pity, these instances of kindness slowly turned into a beautiful friendship between them.
Feedback and Self Assessment
We may often ponder over the reasons as to why Michael turned out to be the way he turned out to be.
In our lives, growth happens when we get constant feedback from our peers and guardians and well-wishers about how they perceive our behaviour.
This feedback is essential for us to assess ourselves, tweak and keep what's necessary and dump what's bad.
This is how Growth happens.
From the scenes we see from his childhood, it's clear that Michael missed all those formative years of feedback and growth and was raised in a closed bubble.
As an adult, even though Michael had a lot of acquaintances in the Office, all of them were aloof and distant to Michael, except for Pam and Jim who slowly started to embrace Michael as their friend.
Michael was not stubborn or a narcissist when Pam and Jim started to point out his shortcomings and slowly nudged him to become a better person.
Michael, though not so willingly, did put an effort to listen and without even him knowing changed himself for the better. He thus slowly grew out of the disliked character we were introduced to in season 1.
Jim constantly critiqued Michael for doing the wrong things and compelled him to choose right. Pam helped Michael stop his self-destructive tendencies and thereby Michael became happier every season that went by.
Michael Learned to give more than he takes
Pam and Jim's kindness.Dwight's unrelenting loyalty and their collective friendship changed Michael from the self-centred person we see in season 1 to an accommodating, caring and even sticking his neck out for others kind of person in the later seasons.
Michael was so lonely, he always craved to be the centre of attention.
He was so into himself in season 1, that he never prioritised others happiness above him.
Like for example, when he chose the ice cream cake for Meredith's birthday party in season 1.
Despite being told that Meredith can't eat that cake because of her lactose intolerance, he insisted on getting what he wanted.
But even if Michael tried hard to demand attention and love, we all know from our own experience, that's not how life works. Love and respect are earned!
So the more Michael tried to be in the centre, the more people alienated him.
Later in the seasons, as we see Michael stop being selfish and into his own needs and start giving to others, we get to see his true loving and caring side.
The caring Michael in the later seasons is protective of others and their feeling and is willing to put them before him.
This side of him led him to gain the respect of others and they finally started seeing him as their leader and as a good boss even Stanley, who as we know was the most reluctant to accept him.
Michael's choices made a difference
For the first time in his life, Michael was surrounded by people who cared for him.
As an example, when Michael was in a dilemma and couldn't understand if he was really happy with Jan. He sought his 'friend' Todd's opinion. Todd only cared if Jan was 'hot' and didn't even ask if Michael was happy.
When the same dilemma was presented to Pam, Phyllis, and Karen, they wanted him to think and see through the noise. They wanted him to ask himself if he was really happy with Jan and wanted him not to force himself into a relationship that was a trainwreck.
Michael eventually moved past Jan, which was a big decision and this decision brought him more growth as a person who would later end up with Holly who is one of the nicest people one could end up with.
So because Michael was strong and because he made tough decisions, he was rewarded with a wonderful person to spend his life with.
Imagine an alternate scenario, where Michael did not gather the strength to break up with Jan and was stuck in the stale relationship for longer.
It would have broken him!
Michael started to believe that he deserved better
Gradually over the years, Michael can be seen more and more comfortable in his skin and with how he was around others.
He was at the helm of creating the life that he desired. Later in the season, he had real friends and people he trusted and loved around him.
Michael even started to speak up and defend himself, his employees and his friends.
He pushed back against corporate when they wanted to lay off the whole branch.
Michael even confronted and ditched Todd Packer as his friend.
Through all of his experiences, love and support from Pam, Jim, Dwight and others, he got a new perspective on life and now he had a clear vision about what he deserved.
Michael comes full circle in the Office
I love to watch the Office for a lot of reason, the humour, the unexpected plot, the very relatable mockumentary format is all good.
But one of the most compelling reasons why I love The Office is Michael and Michael again.
In Season 1, he shows us a mirror to ourselves, even at a moment where we cringe at Michael, there is a realisation deep within us, that some traits Michael show could be any one of us in our worst moments.
We have felt lonely and friendless in life. We have craved attention and sometimes tried to demand it from others.
So how Michael steers himself from his worst to his best is a source of inspiration to all of us.
Rooting for Michael as he transforms himself comes naturally.
In his last episode, where his office mates sing the song for him and when Jim tells him that he is the 'greatest boss he ever had, we feel for Michael as we have been on this journey with him as he became from bad to good.
For me, the best part of the show ends in season 7 when Michael leaves for Colorado to be with Holly.
How it ends there is perfect!
He began being hated but now he has earned the love and respect of all the employees, who now consider him family.
