Bert Cooper is known as one of the two names behind Mad Men’s
main advertising firm Sterling Cooper, but what is the one thing Bert is
notoriously known for? His beliefs of a shoeless office and well-groomed bonsai
tree. An avid philosopher, Bert Cooper is known as the calm of the many stormy
days in the advertising office. He is one of the most paradoxical characters of
Mad Men because he has the highest position in the firm, but most of the time
we don’t see Bert doing actual work to benefit the company. Maybe his inner
spirits have prompted him to relax and let the others run his business. Or
maybe we don’t see many of Bert’s actual efforts because the absence of drama
in his personality could make his duties seem boring and unexciting.
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Subsequently, there are many cases in today’s society that a
spiritual mindset in the work place makes a more successful worker. Since Bert
is “running” an entire business, it can be odd to find him acting so calm at
the most unnatural times. In the article, the parallel between emotional
intelligence and Bert’s persona in the office exemplify his management style.
His “self-awareness” is displayed in his confidence like refusing to smoke or
drink heavily. Bert rarely talks down upon people, so when he does, there is
more of an effect behind his voice. He calls out Roger about his about his
excessive smoking in episode seven “Red in the Face,” and how “it’s a sign of
weakness.” Weakness is a characteristic that Bert obviously doesn’t have or
refuses to reveal.
Bert also possesses very high relationship skills. He values hard
workers like Don and this is seen in his spontaneous gesture to give him a
generous bonus in episode eight of season one, “The Hobo Code.” We also barely
see him yell and pick fights with the people who consistently focus on the
“bad.” A good example of this is when Pete Campbell tries to unveil Don’s real
identity in episode twelve, “Nixon vs. Kennedy” and Bert practically blows Pete
off. He tries to manifest Don as a good man, even though he may not be who he
says he is.
The Bert Cooper aura of socks and Ayn Rand provide a sense of
peace in the office. His spiritual ways can prove that being a “chill” manager
can be beneficial in a high-paced business. Maybe one modern 1960s hippie is
what the “mad men” need in order to prevent each of them from destroying the
business with their day-to-day petty ordeals.
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