ABOUT WHO's THE BOSS?
Journal of Business Strategy
Who's the boss? (The Last Word).(quotations about bosses)(Brief Article)
Turns out, "boss" has pejorative connotations in some minds. Who knew? Around here, we regard it as synonymous with "supervisor" and a close cousin to "leader." But a search for quotes yielded views of both the sunny and dark sides of that particular four-letter word.
"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives." Theodore Roosevelt
"The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also knows why will always be his boss." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Even the frankest and bravest of subordinates do not talk with their boss the same way they talk with colleagues." Robert Greenleaf
"The boss drives people; 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 boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says 'go'; the leader says 'let's go!"' H. Gordon Selfridge
"Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties." Doug Larson
"By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work 12 hours a day." Robert Frost
"A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong-that's healthy." Robert Townsend
"Never rest on your oars as a boss. If you do, the whole company starts sinking." Lee Iacocca
"No man goes before his time-unless the boss leaves early." Groucho Marx