Do You Ever Feel Like You're Smarter Than Your Boss?

December 5, 2008

Last night's episode of The Office was titled "The Surplus," and the episode appropriately opened with Oscar explaining to Michael why they had to spend the $4,300 budget surplus by the day's end. When Michael doesn't understand what Oscar is talking about, he asks Oscar to explain it to him like he's an 8-year-old. Then, when the light-bulb still doesn't go on, he asks Oscar to explain it to him like he's a 5-year-old. I was impressed with how patient Oscar was with Michael! Check out the video below and then tell me, do you ever feel like you're smarter than your boss?

32 Comments

karenpanna 4 years 23 weeks

I had this problem, but it was surprising more problematic when I worked in higher academia. It wasn't my supervisor who had difficult understanding simple explanations, but university professors who just didn't seem to get it!!!

kscincotta 4 years 23 weeks

I'm a research scientist and both of my bosses are crazy-smart at science and health related things. They are geniuses. However, at life in general, I am definitely smarter. They just can't relate at all outside of a lab.

geebers 4 years 23 weeks

Definitely not- she is a great mentor and I have a lot to learn from her. And I agree with Syako -knowing more about a computer does not make a person smarter.

Shadowdamage 4 years 23 weeks

Smarter...well..we're a different kind of smart. I would say she is very "focused", less book-smart and more savvy-business acumen smart. She's very smart at "what she does", but in some ways she's not as sharp - she's not the best judge of how to deal with people and sometimes she can lose sight of her own emotions and how best to deal with them. I am not sure of her college status, actually. By contrast, I think I am probably "overall" more intelligent, definitely more an intellectual in the broader sense but that's how I was raised, and that's also my education speaking. I became a MENSAN in 2005 and I still don't think that's the best measure of intellect, because there are different kinds (emotional intelligence, for one) that aren't really measured by their testing methods but still contribute to a person's ability to communicate and cope with their environment. I am definitely less "honed in" on one type of knowledge than she is, but that's by choice, I think I would get terribly bored! In the end, it works out, as her singleminded dedication to her field makes her a damn good boss, and good at what she does, and my more diverse interest and psychologically-focused way of thinking seems to suit my very multi-faceted job, and it also allows her to lean on me when she does find herself neeing to "talk". I take it as a compliment that I can help her when she has a down mood and thus the odd pairing works. I don't need to feel the most intelligent at my job - its not a contest of intelligence. I feel mostly that I just need to feel that the job, fits me and the lifestyle I want to achieve.

Meike 4 years 23 weeks

Feel like? Sorry, no, I AM smarter than my boss. After all, whenever anyone asks her a question, she has to ask me for an answer and regurgitate my knowledge. One day, I'll just end up giving her the wrong answer.

Colleeninator 4 years 23 weeks

Oh, I should also point out that I don't believe getting a college education automatically makes you smarter than anyone either (man, I've met some stupid people with degrees), it's just a useful indicator.

Colleeninator 4 years 23 weeks

I never DON'T think I'm smarter than my managers, but then again, I'm waiting tables while getting my college education, and my managers are all people that never aspired to anything beyond having control over other people. (This isn't to say all restaurant managers are stupid, I know they aren't. But, in the not so five-star restaurants, they do tend towards the 'moronic' end of the spectrum)

Britney Kayla 4 years 23 weeks

I personally don't like my boss, he's very rude and he likes to see who will jump the highest, pretty much, for his enjoyment.

Britney Kayla 4 years 23 weeks

All the time...

javsmav 4 years 23 weeks

no, I respect my boss. He's really good at what he does and the reason I took this job is so I could learn from him. Academically-speaking, I went to a much better law school & had better grades, but he has decades of experience and I'm just starting out.

sorrowja 4 years 24 weeks

I wouldn't say that I'm smarter than her because she's been in the industry way longer than I have. However is use to the old way of doing things and I'm good at doing things the advance way.

ayanaphil 4 years 24 weeks

i should say there is the supervisor, then there's the big boss. I'm definitely not smarter than the big boss, but my immediate supervisor doesn't do a thing all day and the people she supervises keep track of changes within the industry a lot more than she does. I honestly think she's stuck in her ways and doesn't believe things are changing but they are.

OHmeetsBK 4 years 24 weeks

No way. My boss teaches me something new everyday (sometimes, many new things). I have a great deal of respect for her.

cpianolover 4 years 24 weeks

Yeah, I guess so. She can't even spell simple words like abecedarius, and she also doesn't know the pronunciation of easy words.

runningesq 4 years 24 weeks

no way! my boss is an amazing attorney, ROCKS at cross examining .. and I've had four trials in my entire life ;)

ilanac13 4 years 24 weeks

there are times that i think that i'm smarter than her - about some things. i have to believe that she's smarter than me - seeing as how she IS my boss and she's been in the industry for so long, but there are also times that i have serious doubts.

psterling 4 years 24 weeks

Nope, my boss is pretty terrific at her job.

LaLa0428 4 years 24 weeks

Every freakin day!

Martini Rossi 4 years 24 weeks

HELL YEAH!

Spectra 4 years 24 weeks

Not my current boss...she is very experienced and she's definitely a smart cookie. But my old boss was a bumbling idiot, to put it bluntly. The only reason he was a manager was because he was friendly with the "good ol' boys" in another department.

lauraxtc 4 years 24 weeks

No! She is a smart woman. I'm not saying I'm not, but she has been in this business longer than I. Definitely.

Marni7 4 years 24 weeks

No way man!! my boss is a Dean,Professor, a writer (he wrote well known books on JFK and currently assigned to write a book on the history of our University) people call him non-stop for interviews..he's even done the History Channel :) he is like a genius and a wonderful boss!