'The Office' to 'Mad Men': TV Guide to Career Advice - Lesson 7 of 8

Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House (FOX)

• Lesson: Being right isn’t everything

This medical curmudgeon, like Michael Scott from The Office, provides a searing example of what not to do. Alienating your boss, colleagues and clients isn’t a good idea, even if you’re rarely wrong, says McKee. “I see a lot of people like him in corporate America,” he explains. “He’s good at what he does and he believes being right is more important than making friends.

“I think he’s a bad boss because he only sees his goal as medical,” McKee adds. “He doesn’t work to bring up the next generation of talent, and he’s lost the hospital money over the years.” Bottom line: If an employee loses his employer money, he won’t be an employee much longer (except maybe on television).

• Up Next: Think outside the box (Chuck)
• Go Back: Stay above the fray (Survivor)