The position of regional manager in The Office was occupied by Michael Scott for 19 long years. He has not always been the wisest or nicest person in the workplace, however, with the due course of time, his employees grew fond of him and accepted him despite his particular flaws.
He wasn't the only one to occupy that position, as there have been other ambitious characters who tried to get that promotion; some of these were capable, charismatic people, while others were completely unfit for the job. Some of the workers of Dunder Mifflin, instead, seemed perfect and smart enough to run an office, but they were underestimated and never considered for the position. Here are some characters who were or could have made great leaders.
Initially, he didn't use his full potential and adapted to being a mere salesman, since he was also essentially focused on Pam. However, over time and especially in the last seasons, he starts realizing his capacities and gets ambitious. Jim has always been solicited by both his friends and bosses to go for a higher position, especially by Jan and David Wallace; his coworkers mostly respected him and got along with him (besides Dwight), since he's a funny, reasonable and quiet individual.
Oscar is the most practical, smart, and capable worker from the office, yet, he was never seriously considered for the regional manager position. Oscar was better at reasoning with people at work than most of its other regional managers - such as Michael, Dwight, Robert California, and DeAngelo. He would've probably created a calm and safe workplace and could've handled business with efficiency.
Dwight's strength isn't about how he handles his employees or coworkers, considering that he often used to scare them with his authoritarian behavior and rigid rules.
However, despite his crazy moments and his attitude, he turns out to be a great leader, for he's one of the hardest working people from the Office, ambitious, determined, practical, and capable. That's probably why he ended up being the regional manager at the end of the show.
Karen Filippelli competed multiple times to become the regional manager of the office, and most fans wouldn't choose her mostly because she hasn't worked at the Scranton's branch for long, which made her a pretty underrated character- along with her rivalry with Pam. Karen, however, is one of the most clever, qualified and responsible in the workplace - like when she refused to drink during work, with Jim and Andy in Stamford. Her abilities were, indeed, recognized in Utica, where she was promoted to Regional Manager of the branch.
Darryl's path to success has been quite a difficult and long one, but he eventually managed to get the job of his dreams. Darryl competed for the regional manager's position as well, but he let anxiety and nervousness influence the job interview too much. Despite the interview, he still proved to be crafty and able to handle his workers, who all respected and supported him. He knows the office, its employees and clients very well, and he knows how to run a workplace - as he learned in Warehouse, where he got his first promotion.
Nellie Bertram is one of the weirdest characters of the show, but also one of the most charismatic managers of the office. She has obtained the position of regional manager thanks to her motto "if the seat is open, then the job is open" and her determination that impeded even the current CEO, Robert California, from firing her.
She had her sloppy moments, but she's a good leader that can efficiently handle Scranton's branch.
Angela Martin usually encourages Dwight to take the role, but she's completely undervalued from a working point of view. When it's about work, she's dedicated, responsible, focused, and consistent, as she occasionally proves by complaining about coworkers that pretend to be sick not to work and about the amount of precious time they all unnecessarily waste. One of the things she and Dwight always agree on is how good their strict rules at work are. Most people don't like her, that's where her leader figure falls, but if she was a regional manager, she'd put a lot of effort, focus, and hard work in her tasks, moreover, she's smart and secretly ambitious.
Robert California has certainly been one of the most mysterious and awkward characters to appear in the show. He didn't particularly connect with the employees, but still, perfectly managed to get along with them, only occasionally being either the harsh or the sloppy boss. Despite all, he was smart, determined, and occasionally manipulative, but he has enough skills and intelligence to run Sabre.
Clark Green was one of the latest additions to The Office, along with his close friend Pete. He's quite sarcastic and at times weird, but both his co-workers and the public like him. He has always proven to be smart, ambitious, and determined; he has, in fact, efficiently contributed to the branch's activities in the last season, often with the guidance of Dwight. To make a sell, he would do anything - working for Jan included. He's a problem solver and the branch could certainly use a young mind like his.
David Brent, the general manager and protagonist of The Office (UK), has randomly appeared a few times throughout the show. He had auditioned to become the regional manager of the Scranton's branch, however, he was never considered for the role because of how awkward and, well, similarity to Michael Scott. It would've certainly been a fun addition to the show, an extremely interesting one to watch.
