A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from August 07, 2012
“The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says ‘Go!’ — a leader says ‘Let’s go!’”

The syndicated newspaper column “Office Cat by Junius” (Edgar Allan Moss of Marion, IN) published a list of sentences in November 1931 comparing a boss to a leader, titled “The Leader is Preferred.” The last line is, “The boss says, ‘Go’; the leader says ‘Let’s go.’” The piece was reprinted and recited many times by many business leaders.
 
A modern shortened version is: “Remember the difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says ‘Go!’ — a leader says ‘Let’s go!’” An engine foreman named E. M. Kelly has been credited since at least the 1990s, but no early version credits Kelly.
 
 
19 November 1931, The Tribune (Cambridge City, IN), “Office Cat” by Junius, pg. 6, col. 3:
The Leader is Preferred.
The boss drives his men; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says “I”; the leader says “We.”
The boss assigns the task; the leader sets the pace.
The boss says “Get here on time”; the leader gets there ahead of time.
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes it a game.
The boss says, “Go”; the leader says “Let’s go.”
 
29 September 1933, Mason City (IA) Globe-Gazette, “Observing,” pg. 3, col. 5:
I liked this distinction between boss and leader set out by Mrs. Bernhard Dubert of Cedar Falls before a recent convention of the American Legion auxiliary:
 
“The boss tries to drive her members; the leader—coaches them.
“The boss inspires fear or indifference; the leader inspiures enthusiasm.
“The boss assigns the tasks; the leader sets the pace.
“The boss gets there on time; the leader gets there ahead of time.
“The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
“The boss says ‘Go!’—the leader says ‘Let’s go!’”
 
27 April 1936, Mason City (IA) Globe-Gazette, pg. 8, col. 1:
BOSS OR LEADER?
THIS STATEMENT of the difference between a boss and a leader, clipped from J. W. J.‘s department in the Chicago Journal of Commerce, is passed along to readers as the best thing that has been written on the subject:
 
“The boss drives his men—the leader coaches them
“The boss depends on authority—the leader depends on good will.
“The boss inspires fear—the leader inspires enthusiasm.
“The boss says ‘I’—the leader ‘we.’
“The boss assigns the slavery—the leader sets the pace.
“The boss says ‘get here on time’—the leader beats ‘em all to it.
“The boss fixes the blame for breakdowns—the leader fixes the breakdowns.
“The boss may not know how to do it—the leader always knows and shows how.
“The boss makes work a drudgery—the leader makes it interesting.
“The boss says ‘go’—the leader says ‘let’s go.’
“There is a whale of difference—don’t you know!”
 
Hathi Trust
The Development of Executive Talent;
A handbook of management development techniques and case studies

By M. Joseph Dooher, editor; Vivienne Marquis, associate editor
New York, NY: American Management Association
1952
Pg. 93:
THE BOSS drives his men; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends on authority; the leader, on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says “I”; the leader says “We.”
The bss says “Go”; the leader says “Let’s go!”
—LIFE INSURANCE AGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSN.
 
12 April 1973, The Courier-Crescent (Orrville, OH), pg. 9, col. 1:
Difference Between A Boss And Leader
The Boss Drives His Men,
The Leader Coaches Them.
 
The Boss Inspires Fear;
The Leader Inspires Ethusiasm.
 
The Boss Says “Get There On Time”:
The Leader Gets There Ahead Of Time.
 
The Boss Fixes Blame For The Breakdown;
The Leader Fixes The Breakdown.
 
The Boss Knows How It Is Done;
The Leader Shows How.
 
The Boss Makes Work A Drudgery;
The Leader Makes It A Game.
 
The Boss Says “Go”:
The Leader Says “Let’s Go.”
 
Google Books
Leadership:
A Treasury of Great Quotation for Those Who Aspire to Lead

By William Safire and Leonard Safir;
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster
1990
Pg. 36:
Remember the difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says “Go!” — a leader says “Let’s go!” — Engine foreman E. M. Kelly

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityWork/Businesses • Tuesday, August 07, 2012 • Permalink


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