Written By: Gregory Slayton
Publisher: Regal

From the Press Release
Book Description:

Gregory Slayton is an American professor, businessman, philanthropist former Ambassador and father of four. But, his greatest passion for fathers to be the best dad they can be comes from his own personal story, featured in Be a Better Dad Today. 

The last time Gregory Slayton spoke with his father, Slayton was fighting for his life in a hospital room. After his father called, he soon cut short the conversation with his son, promising to call back. For 25 years, he never did. His father died in 2007, alone and in great pain.

Be a Better Dad Today reminds fathers that they can fulfill their parental responsibilities and overcome whatever issues they may have inherited or grown up with. Slayton has studied the art and practice of fatherhood on six different continents over the past 25 years. Some of the many relevant topics related to fatherhood include:

•  The "Ten Tools of Fatherhood":
1. Family First/Fun
2. All-in Marriage
3. True Moral Compass and True    Humility
4. Heartfelt Love
5. Empowering Servant Leadership
6. Relationship Tools that Work
7. Heaven’s Help
8. Other Good Dads
9. Optimistic, Never-Surrender Attitude
10. Dynamic, Whole-Person Support

• This Isn't Your Dad's Generation: Slayton offers advice on how fathers can stay connected with their children despite their busy schedules. He also features special circumstances like single dads, blended families and long-distant dads.

• Military Dads Returning from Deployment: With military fathers returning to their families, Slayton provides tips on how fathers can reconnect with their children, the impact of their absence and how to deal with post-war anxiety as a father.  

With humor, empathy and relatable advice, Be a Better Dad Today speaks to all fathers, no matter their situation. Slayton even speaks to fathers who haven’t really played much of a role in their children’s lives at all. Be a Better Dad Today is an inspirational and practical guidebook that will show fathers how to become the best dad they can be—for their family’s sake as well as their own.

To underscore his commitment to strengthening fatherhood and families, Professor Slayton has committed to donate 100 percent of his royalty profits from the book to fatherhood charities. Additional information is available at BeABetterDadToday.com

About the Author:
The Honorable Gregory W. Slayton is the Managing Director of Slayton Capital – and was an early investor and/or Board member for companies such as Google, Salesforce.com, Bloom Energy and WYSE Technologies. He teaches on occasion at Dartmouth, Harvard and Stanford and is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership at UIBE Business School in Beijing. 

Gregory Slayton was appointed by President George W. Bush as the United States Consul General and Chief of Mission to Bermuda, a position he held for four years from his swearing in by Secretary of State Rice on August 15, 2005 until August, 2009. Slayton and his wife, Marina, founded the Slayton Family Foundation in 1999. They currently reside in New Hampshire with their four children.

 Notable Quotes from Be a Better Dad Today:

 Among my other roles so far I have been a CEO, a venture capitalist, an ambassador and an Ivy League professor. In every role I have ever had—even in roles in which I have won prestigious awards or achieved marked success—I knew there were others out there who would probably do as good a job, or maybe even a better one, than me. But in my job as a dad to my children, like all dads for their kids, I am literally irreplaceable. This is true for you as a dad as well (Chapter 1)

 A Noble Family Vision is like a roadmap of what you and your family want to be like in 10 or 20 or 30 years. Having one can be the difference between getting there safe and sound…or not.  (Chapter 2)

 Like any skilled workman, a father needs a strong set of reliable tools to help him complete his job. These are the Ten Tools of Fatherhood—and they are effective in every home in which they are put to work. (Chapter 3)

 Fatherhood can be a lot of work, but it should also be a lot of fun. After all, you’re on the journey of a lifetime (quite literally) with the people you most love in the whole world. Having fun with your family every day doesn’t take lots of money or hours of free time. It just takes a willingness to enjoy the simple pleasures of life together and to celebrate the big things together as well. It also takes a conscious decision to put your family first each and every day.  (Chapter 3)

 Many people think long and hard about the material things they will pass on to their kids when they die. . . But there is something much more important that we as fathers need to pass on to our children: a strong set of ethics and time-tested values, or what I call a “True Moral Compass.” This is the most important legacy we can ever give our kids.  (Chapter 3)

 Active understanding builds directly on careful listening. It is the art of not just hearing the words being used but also understanding the message behind those words. This is a skill that is based on careful listening that develops over time. In fact, it is a skill that grows directly out of careful listening, and it is a vital skill for all effective dads.   (Tool #6: Relationship Tools)

 I cannot emphasize enough the importance of praying diligently and sincerely for your wife and children. I do not pretend to understand exactly how prayer works, but I have seen the power of prayer change hearts (first and foremost, my own) and circumstances. It is by earnest, heartfelt prayer that we link arms, so to speak, with our almighty Father.   (Tool #7: Heaven’s Help)

Purchase: Be a Better Dad Today: Ten Tools Every Father Needs