A Summer Reading Un-List
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It's summertime and you know what that means. Summertime means desperately trying to slim down to look "good" on the beach. Summertime means sunburn. Summertime means sand and bugs in your food and it's OK.
And summertime means reading lists. Every guru, pundit, commentator, and blogger's gotta have one. For the last few years I followed the trend.
I noticed that my lists were getting shorter. The 2009 list, for example, was shorter than the 2008 list. This year there won't be a "list." Think of it as my summer reading un-list. Instead of a list, here are some suggestions, along with notes on what I'll be reading.
Re-read a business book that you love, but haven't read in a while. Since Russell Ackoff died late last year, I've been revisiting several of his books. This summer, I'm going to re-read The Art of Problem Solving. Because I mark up my books, I'll be able to see how my thinking has changed since previous readings.
Read a business book that you've never read before. Check my list of five star books from last year or get some ideas from my post, "Finding Good Business Books to Read."
Read other books that aren't about business. This is more than fun. It also helps improve your creativity.
I try to read some history/biography and some fiction. I'll be reading John Keegan's The American Civil War: A Military History. And I'll read Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and maybe the other books in the trilogy.
What books will you be reading this summer? Please share with the rest of us.
Boss's Bottom Line
It's good to get a bit of extra reading in over the summer. Just don't over-structure things or create more stress for yourself.
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.
Categories: Leadership Reading, Books
Tags: Leadership Reading Books
Wally,
Thanks for your work. I enjoy your blog.
I'm reading Marshall Goldsmith's "What Got you Here Won't take you there."
Managing Transitions by William Bridges
And a few others.
Best to you
Leadership Freak,
Dan Rockwell
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Thanks for the kind words, Dan. Those are both great books. There are way too many bosses that don't know Bridges' work.
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Enjoy your posts Wally. On my summer reading list: Solving Tough Problems (Adam Kahane) and Theory U (Otto Scharmer). Both look relevant for different reasons. I really enjoyed Presence by Senge et al.
Kim
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Thanks for sharing that, Kim. I'm sure readers will want to check those out.
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I am currently reading the Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley. Also on my list are Chasing the Rabbit, Anthill and The Price of Altruism.
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Thanks, Adi, for sharing those. It looks like you're in for a thinking summer!
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I am on the final book in the Larsson trilogy. Someone gave me the middle book in Spain. The weather was bad and I read all 640 pages in one day. I bought the first one and read it too in one day. I bought the final one here in London, where the weather has been spectacular, so I am taking it slower
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Thanks, Bret. Sounds like you're enjoying your summer. My mother-in-law and my wife both inhaled all three books, so I'm looking forward to a good read. I've been told that it's best to take the books in order.
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