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There are sure signs of summer. The weather heats up. Business slows down. And blogs and other publications offer their summer reading lists. Me too.

I'm actually going to post several lists. Each list will be short, a maximum of six books. Most of the books will be short. Each list will have a theme. As I post additional lists, I'll cross reference them.

Personal Productivity Reading Mini-List

My re-reading list is a summertime favorite: my business re-reading list. Thousands of business books are published every year. I receive several every week that someone would like me to review. Many of those books are good, but there's value in some old standards, too.

Here's my pick of books to read or re-read depending on your situation.

Peter Drucker remains the uberguru. He wrote many great books. I suggest two, to be read together. The Effective Executive will help you become more effective. Managing for Results will help you manage your organization better.

Don't let the title of The Science of Success put you off. This is not a motivational book by someone who's never managed anything. The author is Charles Koch, the CEO of Koch Industries which is the largest privately held company in the US. The book contains his thorough, well-thought-through, and tested system for managing a company.

Someday I'll make a movie about Bob Sutton and Jeffrey Pfeffer. I'll call it "The Great Debunkers." Their book Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense is a good introduction to their well-honed debunking skills.

Everybody has to persuade sometime. When you do, you'll want a copy of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion nearby. It's by Robert Cialdini, the Grand Master of Persuasion. Nobody knows more about persuasion. Nobody writes about it better.

My last recommendation is new to this short list of must-reads. It's here because I found myself going back to it time after time. Winning by Jack Welch (with Suzy Welch) is packed with practical wisdom.

Boss's Bottom Line

This is the must-read list. Whatever else you read this summer go through these whether it's your first time or your fiftieth. You'll come away a better boss.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.