Grounders

Tom Slone understands success. He also understands baseball, business, and the art of mentoring. Tom’s multiple areas of expertise, and his willingness to share what he has learned, make Grounders a compelling and important book. But Tom offers us much more. He also knows how to deliver a pithy lesson and make it stick—in part by focusing on the essentials, in part by telling a good story. In Grounders, Tom combines the inspiring and entertaining story of a grand baseball journey with 33 essential lessons that all of us (yes, even those of us who are already very successful) can apply in our lives. He also demonstrates, over and over, the life-changing power of mentoring. —from the introduction by Tony Jeary

Grounders is the story of a group of men and boys traveling to baseball games all over the country in the summer of 2005. The journey serves as context for Tom to share 33 lessons garnered from baseball, business, and life. Together they serve as a template for mentoring boys, managing employees, and changing lives…even your own. —Michael E. McGill, author of American Business and the Quick Fix (Henry Holt), co-author of The Smarter Organization (Wiley), and former dean of Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business Tom Slone understands success. He also understands baseball, business, and the art of mentoring. Tom’s multiple areas of expertise, and his willingness to share what he has learned, make Grounders a compelling and important book. But Tom offers us much more. He also knows how to deliver a pithy lesson and make it stick—in part by focusing on the essentials, in part by telling a good story. In Grounders, Tom combines the inspiring and entertaining story of a grand baseball journey with 33 essential lessons that all of us (yes, even those of us who are already very successful) can apply in our lives. He also demonstrates, over and over, the life-changing power of mentoring. —from the introduction by Tony Jeary If you are a fan of baseball, you will love Grounders….an exhilarating and well-written book on mentoring and a lesson for all of us to learn. You will be moved by this book. —Christa Overcash, widow of Reece Overcash, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Associates First Capital

Tom Slone is Chairman and CEO of Touchstone Communications in Southlake, Texas. He and three other executives founded Touchstone in 2002 to provide offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions to the financial services industry in the U.S. and U.K. Before founding Touchstone Communications, Tom was president of consumer operations (the largest consumer operation in the world) at Associates First Capital, which included Transouth, First Family, Kentucky Finance, AHES, and consumer branches in the U.S., the U.K., Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Canada. At the time of his retirement from Associates, he was responsible for assets of $33 billion and 14,000 employees. In 2000 he was awarded the American Financial Services Association Distinguished Service Award. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, where he is a Director of the Alumni Board and a member of the Board of Visitors. He also established the university’s Tom R. Slone Scholarship. In 2005, Tom received the university’s Legacy Laureate Award. In addition, Tom served on the Executive Advisory Board of the Department of Marketing and Logistics at the University of North Texas. Tom is a long-time volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the past chairman of the Tarrant County, Texas BBBS agency. He recently led a fund drive that generated $1 million for a new gym at H.O.P.E. Farm (located in Fort Worth). He also led a drive to create a Pakistan Chair at the University of Texas, raising over half a million dollars for the program. Tom and his wife Frances live in Colleyville, Texas. They have four children and seven grandchildren.